Review by Anne Muller
Due to the timeliness of attempts to increase coyote hunting,
a review of this excellent book deserves front cover prominence.
Read this important book and pass it along to others, for if
ever there was a book that would change the attitude of the general
public toward coyotes, it's "God's Dog."
Did you know, for example, that coyote dens are deep underground
burrows? Did you know that coyotes have strong family ties? that
they put out fires! That they communicate over several miles, giving
specific messages to specific individuals, such as "Hey, Gray
Dog, this is Mama Red Legs, meet me at rendezvous rock in one hour."
Did you know that parents, aunts and uncles have to put up
with unruly youngsters and come up with all sorts of tricks to
lure them back to the den when they run off? Did you know that
coyotes are sanitation workers and firefighters; that their diet
consists of carrion, insects, and rodents; that they run from people
and even elk.
Hope Ryden was commissioned by National Geographic to write
an article about coyotes. She lived in the wild, alone, over a
two year period observing two generations of one family. She wrote
the article, and later the book, God's Dog.
Hope Ryden is one of the great naturalists of our time. She
has written over 30 books on wildlife. Jane Goodall wrote the preface
to Lily Pond, a book about Hope's 4-year study of beavers in the
wild. Dr. Goodall said, "Hope Ryden appreciates the beauty
and wonder of the natural world and she describes it powerfully…Reading
this book was for me, like journeying into a fascinating new world:
I am enriched."
God's Dog is MUST reading. It MUST be reintroduced
to the public to counteract government and hunter propaganda about
the coyote. For your convenience you can use our catalog form (back
page) to order at discount ($15).
Toward that end, with Hope's permission, Wildlife Watch has
developed a program that can be used to give presentations on this
book at bookstores or other venues. We encourage you to PLEASE
set up something at a store in your community. We will be happy
to get the presentation package to you or, if needed, do the presentation.
Contact Wildlife Watch at wildwatch@worldnet.att.net or
call 914-255-4227.
