Customer Reviews

Lost and Found: Dogs, Cats, and Everyday Heroes at a Country Animal Shelter

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I could not get enough of this book. I found myself stealing away to read it at odd times as if it was the latest best selling fiction novel. From the first sentence to the last, Elizabeth Hess sweeps you into the world of the county animal shelter. Although the Columbia-Greene Humane Society, of which she writes, is extraordinary in its first rate interest in the animals in its care,the stories of the animals there are those of the millions and millions of discarded animals that end up in shelters everywhere. In addition to being an extremely atmospheric and captivating read, Hess does an excellent job of telling it like it is with a good balance of the bitter and the sweet. Buy this book for yourself and all those who care about the welfare of animals- THIS BOOK WILL STAY IN YOUR HEART FOR YEARS TO COME, I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT!

I volunteer at my local animal shelter every day. I see it all--the ignorant humans, the frightened pets, the happy endings and the all-too-frequent deaths. Lost and Found does a terrific job of telling the animal welfare tale, and it hits all the issues while remaining utterly readable and thoroughly gripping. If you want the inside scoop on what goes on at animal shelters, this is your book. Moving, inspiring, and TRUE.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I'm among those who do know what kind of responsibility it takes to own a dog. I'm the happy 'Mom' of 2 terriers, one of which is a rescue dog. It is true about rescued animals - they know they've been given another chance and will give you their love many times over.

Elizabeth Hess was down to earth in showing the trials and successes an animal shelter goes through. If you know someone who's not sure about getting a pet, I highly suggest they read this book. It'll make them think twice. If you know someone with misconceptions that all shelter animals get homes, give them this book as a wakeup call! A pet can take up as much or more of your time than a human baby, but the human race has made dogs, cats and other animals disposeable. There are happy endings as well as sad in the book, but it's worth buying. As the kids would say, we give it a 2 paws up!

I've volunteered at the animal shelter in my town for a few years now, but have never had quite as much insight as this book provided. I get the feeling the shelter in the book has a smaller volunteer base than the shelter I have dealt with based on the details they were willing to share with her. This was a very uplifting book that explained a lot about why shelters work the way they do (ie rules about who can adopt, what happens when they get lost pets, etc.). Unfortunately, it is most likely to be read by the people that already understand these rules and why they exist.

I worked for the Humane Society for 6 months so I know exactly what the author is describing in her stories. Some sad and some amazingly heartwarming.

This book should be read by any person who wants to own a pet. Some people just do not realize how much responsility goes into being a pet owner. Financially it can be tough if your animal companion falls ill.

Elizabeth Hess tells stories of the same animal being surrendered to the shelter by several differenet families because they just couldn't handle be an owner. She tells a story of a man chatting with her inside the animal shelter while his box of kittens, that he was surrendering, almost cooked to death in his car on a 98 degree day.

Don't get me wrong there are heartwarming stories in this well written book. Stories of wonderful people giving their lives to help make the shelter a home and safe haven for homeless animals.

A must buy for all animal lovers!

This book was so good, after I read it I reordered it in hardbound so that it would "keep better" on my shelf. This way I can pass around my paperback copy to my co-workers at the shelter I work at. Since I work in a "no-kill", privately funded shelter full time, I can relate to the stories told in Ms. Hess' book. Even though we are "no-kill", we work very closely with our city funded shelter (the pound) to transfer animals out of there that are on the euthanasia list. This is a hard job, choosing who will live and who will die for us, but the hardest part is for people who work in euthanasia full time. These are the folks who have to "clean up the mess" of others who fail to spay or neuter their pets, the "backyard" breeders and the general population who fail to keep that life long commitment they made to their pets when they dump them at the shelter. By the way, very few of the animals that are dumped find homes. Stray animals are kept up to 72 hours, depending on cage space. Owner released animals are usually killed immediately, or as one employee said to a surrenderer, "As soon as the ink is dry on your release form, your animal will be dead." Recommended reading for anyone who wants to run out and get a pet, should be required reading. Please excuse my harshness, but I'm writing this in the middle of "kitten season."

This book is a moving, well written and ultimately very human account of what happens in a rural animal shelter. The animal stories are fascinating - whether you are a lover of a specific breed or an appreciator of shelter dogs and cats (as I am!), you will find an animal in these pages to touch your heart. In addition, the dedication of the volunteers and the I am sure, highly underpaid staff that helps rescue, care and love these animals is inspiring.

The only hitch that I sort of noticed was Ms. Hess' seeming bias towards Pit Bulls, speaking in somewhat degrading terms about them and even making a sideways comment about an "infestation". She does redeem herself in the end, noting that they are extremely loyal dogs. As someone who is owned by a boxer/pit bull shelter dog, I can truly attest to their undying loyalty, gentleness and ease with adults and children alike (though most don't like other dogs). Most shelters are teeming with pit bulls who bark all day because of other dogs and look ferocious. Too many of these beautiful animals are euthanized every day. Please consider this breed!

She raises another important point about black cats (a black cat currently runs my household, she's in charge of everything, including the pit bull) ... there are many of them and people still see them as "bad luck". I have had nothing but good luck since Ms. Jen came along ... just something to think about (I never knew I had the two toughest shelter cases living in my home!)

All in all, this book with make you think about shelter animals and the benefits of adopting one, as well as the responsibilities of pet ownership and the growing cat/dog overpopulation crisis. Read it, then responsibly adopt a pet. Like a pit bull or a black cat.

This is a great book that portrays what really goes on inside animal shelters across the country. From the horse abuse cases to the abandoned box-kittens, this is a great read for anyone interested in animal shelters. It also reveals the myths about the animals in shelters, like: Mixed breed dogs don't have anything inherently wrong with them. Animals other than dogs and cats end up at shelters, and not always because of
aggressiveness or behavioral problems (which can be fixed with amazing simplicity without bringing animals to a shelter). The author goes into detail about daily chores inside the shelter, but don't forget the puppy mill raid!
I got this book because I'm going to volunteer at an animal shelter with my sisters in the near future. Over all, I think you should buy this book. If you love animals, you won't be disappointed.

For everyone who has ever adopted an animal, surrendered an animal, loved an animal or simply wants to know how we who work at a shelter manage to hang in there, this is the book. Elizabeth Hess has done a marvelous job recording her insights into the very stressful, often frustrating, often heartwarming aspect of this very difficult job. It is not a depressing book, but, rather, a realistic one. I could have written every single word she has put on paper, even though my shelter is many hundreds of miles away from hers and deals with a different population. What most people do not realize, and which this book points out, is that it is a humane shelter's job to protect the animals, most of which are abused and neglected, and get them into stable, non-abusive homes. This can be source of stress, as the average person thinks of a shelter as a pet store. We are far more than that, as Ms. Hess points it. She covers the horrors of puppy mills, the frustrations of working with an abusive public and non-caring judicial system, and the marvelous families who adopt and care for the unwanted and suffering. The most wonderful animals are found in shelters, and often some of the most wonderful people. Thank you, Ms. Hess, for letting everyone see this.

This book was so good I could not put it down. A realistic yet compassionate look at shelters today. A must read!