"Animals have shaped our minds, our lives, our land, and our civilization. Humanity would not have gotten very far without them--making use of their labor for transportation, agriculture, and pollination; their protection from predators; and their bodies for food and to make clothing, music, and art. And over the last two centuries, humans have made unprecedented advances in science, technology, behavior, and beliefs. Yet how is it that we continue...

When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction: dogs are prohibited in her apartment building. While others worry that grief has made her a victim of magical thinking, the woman...

Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to her hometown in England after living abroad for sixty years. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss, and she retreats from the world into a life of dull routine. Then one winter night, a chance encounter with a mouse sets Helen on a surprising journey.

Accepting a position in the small town of Sunshine, Idaho, Emily, a veterinary intern, is shocked to discover that her new boss is her gorgeous one-night stand from a Reno vet conference, which changes everything.

In 2000 in the jungles of Panama, a young journalist, named Ana, has a chance encounter with a tiny orphaned sloth, which she names Velcro. For nearly two years, the pair is inseparable until finally Ana travels up a remote river to reintroduce Velcro back to the wild. This is the story Ana’s return to Central and South America to see how much has changed since Velcro came into her life. Sloths, once largely ignored, have become a hot topic of scientific...

Mark Evans travels to Namibia’s Chobe River, a place that’s known as the croc attack capital of the world. Crocodiles here are growing in size and number and so is the frequency of attacks. Each time an attack occurs, the locals kill crocs in retaliation. To find a way to keep both people and crocodiles safe, Evans joins leading croc experts Rom Whitaker and Dr. Patrick Aust to carry out a radical new experiment. The idea is to train crocs to...

Mark Evans travels to Western Australia, where seven people have been killed by sharks in the last three years. Authorities have implemented radical measures to catch and kill any shark they deem a threat. Evans wants to find non-lethal solutions to keep people — and sharks — safe. He enters the water to attach tracking tags to great whites; joins beach patrol teams searching for sharks; and tests a new “multi-spectral” camera that spots sharks...

Lucas Ray is shocked when an adorable puppy jumps out of an abandoned building and into his arms. Though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn't allow dogs, Lucas can't resist taking Bella home. Bella is inexplicably drawn to Lucas, even if she doesn't understand the necessity of games like No Barks. As it becomes more difficult to hide her from the neighbors, Lucas begins to sneak Bella into the VA where he works. There,...

When his Uncle Bertie dies, Todd Dwyer is left with his little mutt, Archie. Todd's girlfriend insists that he give Archie to his sister, whose rural home is a day's drive away. Todd and Archie hit the road, but after a detour to a hotel run by Todd's childhood friend, Emma, their road trip turns bumpier than an unpaved country lane.

A collection of sixteen short stories about the remarkable bond between humans and their dogs by bestselling New York Times author Jon Katz.