Reigning Cats & Dogs: A Light-Hearted Look at Pets & Their Owners

Joan McGrath is a Toronto Board of Education library consultant.

Most books dealing with pet selection, care, feeding, training, etc., tend to adopt a deadly earnest approach to the affair, apt to leave the uninitiated with the fear that pet ownership will be dreadfully joyless and effortful, more of a task than a pleasure.

Marvin Ross manages to convey two important messages about pet ownership simultaneously. Yes, there is effort involved, and one should indeed think seriously before embarking upon a new career as pet owner; and yes, pet ownership can be a joy and a delight, well worth all the trouble. Ross deals primarily with dog and cat ownership, but he does mention more exotic and off-beat pets more-or-less in passing. While the advice offered is sensible and accurate, it is couched in readable terms, interspersed with anecdote and liberally bedecked with very funny cartoon-illustrations by a committed animal-lover, David Shaw. Fun to read and informative, by a successful team who have collaborated on three earlier titles: Cover Your Ass! (dealing with bureaucracies), Daddy Dearest (new fatherhood), and Sorry Daddy (a father’s guide to toddlers).