Pet Memoir

Ramses was the best dog in the world—the cleverest, friendliest, most expressive, understanding, amusing dog that ever was, and it was only a happy coincidence that he happened to be ours.

A gift from an overseas relative, Graycie, an African Gray parrot, arrives in the Gardiner home not long after the birth of their first child, adding the responsibilities of parrot-hood to their newfound parenthood. Jenny Gardiner and her husband were hoping for a docile, beautifully plumed, Polly-want-a-cracker type of companion - but patchily feathered, scrawny, ill-tempered Graycie was the furthest thing from what they envisioned.

True stories of our various dogs, cats, lambs, horses, and birds that added so much to our lives.

Night delivers a litter of eight puppies in a poor neighborhood in Springfield, Tennessee, the week before Melissa Armstrong first meets her. As a volunteer for a local nonprofit, Melissa has experience with strays and plans to rescue Night and her litter within days. But nothing goes as planned. For the next six months, Melissa and a ragtag cast of characters try to trap the mutt with nets, catchpoles, spring traps, cheeseburgers, hot dogs stuffed with Benadryl, and the dog’s crying puppies. They fail so many times that Melissa is on the brink of giving up.

Borghild Strandenes is a Norwegian woman living in France where she runs a small non-profit rescue association, specialised in helping blind dogs and dogs suffering from trauma. In 2020 she flies to Cyprus to bring three blind dogs to France. Whilst on the island she meets Shakespeare, a dog that has sat “frozen “in a concrete corner for five years. No one has seen Shakespeare stand up, nor eat, as he will only eat and move in the night when there is no humans at the sanctuary. Then, one winter morning a meeting at a shelter, on a plateau in Cyprus changes both their lives forever.

From historian-in-residence at the Presidential Pet Museum, Andrew Hager, comes a fond, fascinating, and often surprising look at the dogs who were the best friends of the presidents, featuring unforgettable photographs.

"How the Chicken-Loving Rottie Miracle Got Her Name!" is a heartwarming true story by Hilda Williams about the extraordinary journey of a Rottweiler named Miracle. At just six weeks old, Miracle faced a life-threatening situation that left her unresponsive, but against all odds, she survived. This miraculous moment changed her life and her owner's forever.

Florence Nightingale sends care instructions to the woman who has just adopted her angora tomcat, Mr. White. T. S. Eliot issues a rhyming birthday party invitation to all Jellicle cats for his four-year-old godson. Jack Kerouac's mother grieves at the death of the family cat. Jack Lemmon winkingly suggests to Walter Matthau that they go in on a cat ranch in Mexico. This utterly charming collection offers a warm and friendly look at the place that cats occupy in our hearts and lives.

Between 1941 and 1944, sixteen thousand plucky homing pigeons were dropped in an arc from Bordeaux to Copenhagen as part of 'Columba' – a secret British operation to bring back intelligence from those living under Nazi occupation.

Marika Meeks fell in love with Stella the moment she saw her. The adorable pit bull puppy had been abandoned in a cold field in winter - but her warm, friendly eyes and boundless affection could melt anyone's heart. Even so, Marika wasn't sure she was ready to adopt a dog. As a busy entrepreneur, wife, and mother of two daughters, Marika's life was crazy already. She was recovering from stage-three breast cancer, and her family was still reeling from her brush with mortality. But Marika couldn't deny the way Stella made her feel, and she knew in her heart what her family needed.

The youngest daughter of an eccentric engineer and a musical theater fanatic, Helen Brown grew up in the New Zealand coastal town of New Plymouth in a crumbling castle overrun by nature, and overshadowed by nearby, beautiful Mount Taranaki. It's 1966, the Pacific islands are being used for atomic bomb testing, and her parents and siblings are swept up in their own lives. Twelve years old, struggling in school, and facing eye surgery-for the second time-Helen feels lonely and lost . . .

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais are the creators of some of British television's most beloved comedies. Essex-born Clement teamed up with Geordie insurance salesman La Frenais in the early 1960s and scripted a series about two young pals from Newcastle, The Likely Lads, which became one of BBC Two's first hits. The duo went on to create the classic sitcoms Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge starring Ronnie Barker, and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

What animals teach us about love. Brenda Peterson, author of the popular book, Wild Chorus, takes us on a moving, sometimes surprising journey of our more-than-human bonds with wild and domestic animals. Author interviewed by Almost Live! comedian, Tracey Conway, and her husky dog, Ella.

When Elvis Presley decided he wanted to buy a horse in 1966, he didn't want just any horse. "He wanted a Golden Palomino," Priscilla Presley remembers. "He would get up at 3:00 in the morning, go to certain farms and ranches and say, 'Do you have a Golden Palomino for sale?' People would say, 'That was Elvis Presley!'" Elvis's legendary love of horses drove him to find the golden palomino that would become his beloved companion, Rising Sun.

From “a genuine American Dostoevsky” ( The Washington Post): A dazzling, funny, bittersweet exploration of the mysteries of relationship, both human and animal. When his favorite cat Biscuit goes missing, Peter Trachtenberg sets out to find her. The journey takes him 700 miles and many years into his past - into the history of his relationships with cats and the history of his relationship with his wife F., who may herself be on the verge of disappearing.

Once in a lifetime, if you are lucky, you come across that one special pet. The one who is more than just the typical companion. The one whom you know, your souls have met before. Barron was that pet for me. She was the best cat I could have ever asked for. Even at 16, she seemed like a young cat and I thought we still had years together. Cancer had other plans. This is the story, told as it happened, of having to say goodbye to the best kitty I will ever know.

When Rhiannon fell in love with, and eventually married her flatmate, she imagined they might one day move on. But this is London in the age of generation rent, and so they share their home with a succession of friends and strangers while saving for a life less makeshift. The desire for a baby is never far from the surface, but can she be sure that she will ever be free of the anxiety she has experienced since an attack in the street one night? And after a childhood spent caring for her autistic brother, does she really want to devote herself to motherhood?

In Letters of Note: Cats, Shaun Usher collects together the most engaging missives that celebrate, eulogise, rail against and analyse the idiosyncratic ways of our feline companions. A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Helen McCrory, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong and Meera Syal.

From birth, my life has been a series of wrong turns and dead ends. Only one person truly loved me, and I walked away from them. Now, they're unavailable. I have a dark soul. That's what I've always been told. Makes me good at my work, though. It's kept me alive, even when I haven't cared if I lived or died. Even when I welcomed death, and it still eluded me. Makes it easy not to get attached. I guess I'm lucky. Until an unexpected reversal of fortune thrusts me into an unwinnable situation. Now, I'm not so sure I want to die.

How I Got Wong is not your usual love at first sight pet story. It deals with a taboo topic and is meant for adult listeners only.