Dog Heroes: Saving Lives and Protecting America [Hardcover]

Jen Bidner (Author), Jenni Bidner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

An inside look at the fascinating world of search-and-rescue dogs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bidner has assembled a succinct yet thorough resume of the entire history of the use of search-and-rescue and tracking dogs as partners in law enforcement." --DOG HEROES

"Bidner paints a vivid literary and graphic portrait of the animals at work." --The Seattle Times

From the Back Cover

The images of heroic dogs working to find victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks captured the hearts of Americans - and brought attention to the important role that these working dogs play in our nation. In addition to these high profile "disaster dogs," the United States has a wealth of search dogs performing critical and often surprising jobs. You may know of law enforcement and military dogs that sniff out bombs, drugs, land mines, and criminals-but you'll also find professional and volunteer dog teams that are instrumental in finding lost or abducted children, identifying unmarked Civil War gravesites, recovering avalanche victims, discovering dangerous gas line leaks, or pulling drowning swimmers to shore, or detecting termites in your new home. Search dogs have even been used to find skin cancer with better accuracy than doctors!Search-dog trainer and photographer Jen Bidner brings her knowledge of the field to Dog Heroes, the first book to celebrate these brave dogs and their handlers and highlight their capabilities with dramatic photographs. In addition to rousing real-life tales, Bidner writes about the history of canine search and rescue, complete with photos and artwork from the turn of the century. She reveals the wide range of breeds being successfully used as search dogs, from the small and feisty Jack Russell terrier to the huge 150-pound Newfoundland. Dozens of breeds are featured here, including many mixed-breeds rescued from shelters. Detailed information on getting started in canine search and rescue rounds out this terrific book. (8 1/4 x 8 1/4, 144 pages, color photos)Jen Bidner is an active member of the volunteer Canine (K9) Search & Rescue community, training her own dogs and moderating an online training newsgroup of dog handlers worldwide. Author of numerous books on photography, including The Lighting Cookbook, she is former Editor-in-Chief of Peterson's Photographic magazine and Outdoor & Travel Photography magazine.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585746967
• ISBN-13: 978-1585746965
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,109,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate and inspiring, December 1, 2002

By 

"k9srch" (IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dog Heroes: Saving Lives and Protecting America (Hardcover)

As an active handler of a SAR K-9 as well as a trainer of other types of working dogs I found Jen's book to be as accurate as it is beautiful. It made me laugh and cry. The photography is excellent and it presents an accurate overview of many of the jobs dogs do for and with us.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honoring those who serve, January 4, 2007

By 

Anne E. Rehfeld (Westminster, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dog Heroes: Saving Lives and Protecting America (Paperback)

This book beautifully demonstrates the many servcies provided by some of the most unlikely dogs, as well as the "normal" breeds that are an active part of the search world. I really appreciated the history given especially for the young readers. My families and friends have enjoyed this book immensely. Some children included it in their book report for school!! A group of "would be" handlers respected, reconsidered and found great value in the context referring to becoming a handler. Jen did a wonderful job of relaying the real world of the working search dog and the intensity of handler involvement. We enjoy chauffeuring our SAR K9 to each assignement and watching him work; maybe we can soon teach him to drive!