I’m very excited to share this fresh news. Connie Brooks of Battenkill Books has ordered 1,000 of the above cotton tote-bags to be given to the first 1,000 people (including those who have already already ordered my book from Battenkill) who pre-order my newest book, Talking To Animals: How We Can Understand Them And They Can Understand Us out from Simon & Schuster in eight weeks.

The book centers on my decades-old work learning to talk to animals and listen to them, starting with a puppy I brought home from elementary school to Simon the donkey and Red, my border collie. I’ve been working at this and observing a long time – with dogs, cats, sheep, horses, chickens and donkeys.

I believe it is time for a new and wiser understanding of animals than is currently available.

In the book, I also write about the New York Carriage Horse controversy, which occupied several years of my writing life and has c aused me to re-consider many of my beliefs about communicating with animals. The horses are a prime example of the dangers domesticated animals face – they are being driven away from humans and into oblivion by people who think they understand their needs but do not.

I think the book is more timely than ever, it is filled with anecdotes and techniques about connecting with animals, from food to visualizations to the sharing of emotions. Understanding animals is the key to keeping them in our world, they are in the gravest danger of vanishing.

The animal rights idea is not saving animals, or even protecting them. In too many cases, the movement is simply forcing animals away from people, sometimes putting them at peril. We need a movement that keeps domesticated animals among us and finds them humane and important work.

If you wish to pre-order the book from Battenkill Books, I will sign it and customize it, and the first 1,000 people will receive one of these beautiful tote-bags for free. So you can also support a wonderful independent book store, my book store. Thanks for considering it.