Turning the page

While 2008 was a bad year for many (and good riddance to it), we don't want to turn the page on the year without ­mentioning a few books that ­belong on the shelves of every pet lover.

First up, Marion Nestle's "Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine" (University of California Press, $19). The Pet Connection team realized early during the 2007 pet-food recall that the numbers of sick and dead pets were in the thousands and that the problem of ­tainted Chinese ingredients went far beyond pet-food ­safety.

And in fact, the petfood deaths were the first of many problems with Chinese products — toys, milk products, toothpaste and more.

Dr. Nestle was also among the first to see a large problem, and she turned her attention to the "canary in the coal mine" aspect of the pet-food industry. Her "Pet Food Politics," written for an ­academic press, is a little dry at times, but the information and its implications are eye-opening. It's a call to action that we can all hope the new Obama administration hears before there's a repeat of the tragedy, perhaps next time with American children as the victims.

Sticking with the academic, Dr. Irene Pepperberg has long been known within the community of bird lovers, but her work became a national sensation only when her research partner, an African grey parrot named Alex, passed away at the age of 31 in 2007.

Pepperberg, a comparative psychologist, had dealt with the dismissal of her colleagues for three decades regarding the parrot's ability to communicate, not just mimic or respond to cues. Although there ­certainly remain skeptics, Alex and Pepperberg convinced many that "bird brain" was not a pejorative.

"Alex & Me" (Collins, $24) deftly blends the personal and the professional, the setbacks and the triumphs, the fight for recognition, and the bond between two souls that could be broken only by death. Alex told Pepperberg he loved her the night before he died. Anyone reading this book will love him, too.

Another lovefest has developed around Dewey Readmore Books, the library cat of Spencer, Iowa, who died of old age late in 2006. I've been a fan of Dewey's since Gary Roma's "Library Cats" documentary came out a few years back, and I'm certainly not alone. Dewey (named for the Dewey Decimal System in a contest by the small town) became a tourist attraction. Like all good animal stories, "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" (Grand Central, $20) is really about ­people, ­especially ­librarian Vicki Myron, who wrote the book along with Bret Witter.

Dewey was dumped in the book-return as a kitten in the middle of winter. The throwaway kitten never wanted for anything again and gave much in return. I'm a sucker for libraries and orange kitties, but I defy anyone not to love the story of Dewey. Especially since he's one of a dying breed — between liabil­ity issues, allergies and people who just don't like cats, few ­libraries will ever see the likes of Dewey. And that's a shame. Public buildings may be ­increasingly intol erant of ­resident pets, but workplaces have never been more pet-friendly. While people who own their own businesses have long had shop cats and taken their dogs to work with them, pet-friendly offices are a relatively new phenomenon. They seem to be most common in areas known for young workers and innovative work environments, notably those of the Silicon Valley, home to the nation's computer ­industry.

But even in those rule-averse offices, problems come up. Unruly dogs, accidents and other challenges can push a pet-friendly office to banning all animals. That's why I was so glad to see "Dogs at Work: A Practical Guide To Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces" (Humane Society Press, $22), written by experienced dog-trainer and author Liz Palika, and one of the bright young stars of the Humane Society of the United States, their chief economist Jennifer Fearing.

Other books worth noting for 2008 include "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle," a novel by David Wroblewski (Ecco, $26), and "Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform" by Karin Winegar with photographs by Judy Olausen (Da Capo Press, $26). n