About this item
How can dogs that sniff for excrement, urine, vomit, and mucus help protect animals from extinction? Scat-detection dogs like Wicket, Tucker, and Orbee are conservation heroes and pioneers in a cutting-edge field of science. Canine detec-tives use their super sense of smell to locate the scat of target animals. From loose bear dung to gooey whale poop, scat can tell scientists valuable information about an animal's sex, age, diet, and health - all without harming the animal or endanger-ing the researcher.
About the Author
I thrive in my world of books, reading, research, and writing award-winning nonfiction titles. Biographies, natural history and American history are my main focus. Each of my books is for young readers ... and the young at heart! I have a reputation for being a research junkie and in my house, that means tiptoeing around boxes (my style of file cabinets) in my office, stacks of "very important" papers, and teetering towers of reference books that don't fit into my floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Despite my predilection for research, I have managed to publish 30 nonfiction books, and many others are still waiting to find that perfect home.
I come from a creative family and we all love the natural world. My father made his living writing westerns and then adventure novels for young readers. His father also wrote western novels and for the "Big Slicks." My mother was an artist and her father was director of the San Diego Natural History Museum. I have one brother who is a professional photographer and another who, along with his wife, are the publishers of many award-winning natural history books (Cachuma Press) .
When I'm not working in my office, I often like to garden or head to the hills behind my house. I take my "writing buddies," Scout (my golden retriever) , plus my little black & white dog (a poodle mix) named Oreo, and my newest, a miniature golden doodle named Penny. While I hike, I like to think about my books. Sometimes I go further and visit our national parks. Many of my ideas come together after one of these "explores."
