Carol Lea Benjamin Books In Order

This Dog for Hire

She gets top billing. But he’s the real teeth of the operation. In the search for a killer, they make the perfect team…
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She’s thirty eight, too independent for most men’s taste, and too suspicious for her own good. In her back alley Greenwich Village cottage, private investigator Rachel Alexander has one ace in the hole: Dash, the devoted, barrel chested pit bull terrier she once saved from certain death, and who is now about to return the favor.

Dash and Rachel are looking for a missing barkless champion basenji named Magritte, and for a killer. The basenji belonged to a struggling artist found dead on a downtown pier near a sign that said ‘don’t be caught alone.’ As Rachel pursues a string of clues that take her from the SoHo art scene to the world of Manhattan’s homeless to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, those words echo in her mind. For in an urban landscape where good friends are hard to come by and true lovers even harder, Rachel soon discovers how dangerous it can be to trust the wrong person. Unless, of course, that person is a dog…

The Dog Who Knew Too Much

The key to a beautiful woman’s tragic death is locked in a dog’s broken heart.P.I. Rachel Alexander is stepping into a dead woman’s life. Hired by the young t’ai chi teacher’s grieving parents, Rachel is determined to find out why their apparently happy daughter jumped from the window of her Greenwich Village martial arts studio. Wearing Lisa’s clothes, studying with her mentor, meeting her friends, provoking her enemies, Rachel soon learns that even with her pit bull, Dashiell, at her side, the path to enlightenment is a dangerous place to be. With the answer Rachel seeks as difficult to fathom as a Zen riddle, yet as close by as the victim’s sad eyed Akita, one truth begins to unfold: Lisa never would have abandoned her dog without a cruel push…
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A Hell of a Dog

Before Rachel Alexander became a private eye, she trained dogs. So she isn’t surprised when she is invited to attend a dog training symposium. But she ‘is’ surprised at the rivalry between trainers one of whom proves to have a bite far more deadly than anyone expected.

Lady Vanishes

From former detective turned noted author and dog trainer, Carol Lea Benjamin, comes the fourth book in the critically lauded Rachel Alexander mystery series, with a sharp new package and for the first time in mass market! Dash, Rachel Alexander’s pit bull terrier, has come to be known as half a sleuthing team. But when not called upon to solve crimes he has another very important job: that of a therapy dog, working with people who are developmentally challenged. Lady, a mop coated puli, was the therapy dog at Harbor View, a Greenwich Village home for ‘throw away’ people. But now lady has vanished…
and the owner of the home has been killed in a bizarre and mysterious hit and run accident. Rachel and Dash are the perfect duo to tackle this mystery: she can find the answers and Dash can bring a sense of calm and order to the residents. As the pieces start coming together, Rachel and Dash not only expose an ugly plot, but also help some innocent victims find justice in a world that too often ignores them.

The Wrong Dog

From former detective turned noted author and dog trainer, Carol Lea Benjamin, comes the fifth book in the critically lauded Rachel Alexander mystery series, for the first time in mass market.

Sophie Gordon didn’t let her epilepsy get in the way of her life as a teacher of deaf children. But without her trusty canine companion, an indispensable service dog named Blanche, she wouldn’t be nearly as well off. A service dog that can perform the difficult tasks that epilepsy requires sensing when a seizure is about to occur and fetching life saving medication is extremely rare, so when a veterinarian’s office promises that they can clone Blanche, Sophie jumps at the opportunity. Her former worries can now be put to rest, knowing that now she’ll have a replacement for Blanche when the time comes.

But the puppy they provided didn’t have what it takes to be a service dog, and when Sophie visits the vet to alert them of the problem, none of the staff is anywhere to be found they’ve disappeared without a trace. To get to the bottom of this clone by night operation, Sophie hires P.I. Rachel Alexander and Dash, her pit bull partner. And two days after meeting with Rachel, Sophie is found dead, apparently of a seizure, but it didn’t take Dash’s sensitive nose to tell that something doesn’t smell right, and that the missing vets definitely need further examination.

Fall Guy

Former detective turned noted author and dog trainer, Carol Lea Benjamin, returns with her celebrated dark and edgy suspense series featuring smart and compelling private investigator Rachel Alexander a new addition to the Morrow/Avon list.

A New York City police officer nearing retirement dies ‘accidentally,’ while cleaning his service revolver in the bathroom of his Greenwich Village apartment. Private investigator, Rachel Alexander, is stunned to learn she’s been named the executor to his will after all, they’d only met when she was doing pet therapy with her pit bull, Dashiell. A member of Rachel’s 9/11 survivors group, the officer never spoke at meetings a really hard case. But then there was the one time he took Dash for a walk around the block. When Dash returned, the fur on his head was soaked with tears…
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Was this death really a suicide? And why would the deceased have chosen a near stranger to perform such an intimate task especially when he’s survived by a brother and sister? As Rachel sets about her work, she soon discovers a mystery from the deceased’s childhood that may have led to this terrible tragedy…
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Without a Word

Private investigator Rachel Alexander and her pit bull Dashiell return in this stylish, dark, emotionally complex seventh mystery from former detective and noted dog trainer Carol Lea Benjamin.

When a distraught father approaches private investigator Rachel Alexander in a New York City park, asking her to help find his missing wife, Rachel accepts reluctantly. After all, the chances of finding a woman who disappeared without a trace and Without a Word five years earlier are slim. But it’s the missing woman’s daughter who touches her most deeply a troubled young girl whose mother’s disappearance has rendered her mute. The child is also suspected of the murder of her doctor, a rich neurologist who was brutally stabbed one night while he was alone in his office. Rachel knows the disturbed girl can’t be a murderer, but her investigation reveals that against all odds, it could be someone from her past. And against a backdrop of betrayal, neglect, and a city at times as lonely and frightening as a child’s worst nightmares, Rachel’s involvement in the case uncovers issues more complex, and more heartbreaking, than she’s ever seen problems that someone was willing to die, or even kill, for.

The Hard Way

A lifelong New Yorker, Private Investigator Rachel Alexander has lived through some rough times from 9/11, to a difficult divorce, to cases that have taken her to the depths of the city’s dark underbelly. But when wealthy business owner Eleanor Redstone approaches Rachel to ask if she can investigate her father’s murder a brutal slaying that occurred when he was pushed onto the subway tracks Rachel takes the case, plunging herself into parts of the city only its poorest residents have ever known. Because to solve Gardner Redstone’s murder, Rachel must disguise herself as a homeless woman and live on the streets, searching for the dispossessed man witnesses say made the fatal push. In one of the coldest winters New York City has seen in years, Rachel is helped by a homeless Iraq War veteran, a man whose sad circumstances leave Rachel pondering her own fortunate life. From critically acclaimed author Carol Lea Benjamin, a writer the Cleveland Plain Dealer calls ‘first rate,’ this is another illuminating look into the heart of New York, a mystery with heartbreaking characters, and a story you’ll never forget.

Nobody’s Baby Now

Fifteen year old Olivia, unhappy because she is overweight and because she must care for her invalid grandmother after school every day, at first denies, then struggles to come to terms with both problems.

Dog Training For Kids

This new and expanded edition of Dog Training For Kids gives youngsters the skills they need to make better citizens of their canine companions, while strengthening that all important human/animal bond. This ‘home study course’ is based on the ability of the child to teach a dog basic obedience as well as some captivating tricks, without having to depend on parental help or expensive equipment. There are beautifully detailed and humorously illustrated instructions on Heeling, Sit Stay, Stand Stay, Down Stay and Come When Called. Counseling is given on seven common but persistent problems; Jumping Up On People, Chewing, Biting, Excessive Barking, Stealing Food and Problem Housebreaking. On the recreational side, there are descriptions of some wonderful tricks which all youngsters can teach their dogs. For those who feel that a future career in dogs would be satisfying and rewarding, Ms. Benjamin presents an overview of eight occupations to jog the reader’s interest.A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

Dog Tricks

In Dog Tricks world class trainers offer more than 80 challenging and unusual activities to teach your dog, including simple tricks that even the most stubborn pets can be taught to perform. Jumping rope’ and the ‘telephone answering machine trick’ are among the more advanced acts outlined in this amusingly illustrated guide that comes packaged with a colorful plastic flying disk. The book, which features 45 drawings, was previously published at $27. 50.

Dog Problems

Praise for Dog Problems, Winner, Best Book on Care and Training, Dog Writers’ Association of America’Delightfully written and abounds with common sense.’ Deborah Lawson, The Philadelphia Inquirer’A must have for every dog owner in America.’ Mordecai Siegal, House Beautiful’Not only the pet but the owner can benefit from this sensible, humane treatment.’ Publishers WeeklyA Howell Dog Book of Distinction

The Chosen Puppy

When you adopt a shelter puppy, you acquire a loving companion and save a life at the same time. When enough dog lovers do the same, they create at least a partial solution to the pet overpopulation problem in the United States today. It staggers the mind to learn that over seven million dogs are received by shelters in this country annually. Of this figure, far too many are puppies, and for most the future is neither bright nor long. Mainly, this vast glut of surplus puppies happened because someone didn’t care about neutering or using a leash or closing gates or even about the quality of life for all living things. In The Chosen Puppy, author Carol Lea Benjamin offers a better understanding of the shelter puppy, why its needs are so special and what you must do to be sure The Chosen Puppy of your choice grows up well adjusted and happy. Here’s how to temperament test and select the right puppy for you; and here’s how to train your Chosen Puppy and care for it, providing all the creature comforts it never may have had and the love it craves so much from those it comes to depend on. Ms. Benjamin understands all aspects of pet overpopulation and how to best help its most innocent victims. She tells why neutering is the hope of the future to curb and curtail a population explosion that never should have happened in the first place. Think of The Chosen Puppy as your guidebook through your shelter puppy’s most important formative period and as a passport to the lifetime of joys awaiting you both.

Surviving Your Dog’s Adolescence

In Praise of Surviving Your Dog’s Adolescence‘Carol Benjamin has brought her usual wit and insight to bear on what is one of the most troubling phases for dog owners…
. Whether you’re having difficulties with a youngster or have a puppy who will soon be an adolescent, you can’t help but benefit from reading this book.’ Robert G. Maxwell President, The American Kennel Club’A concise and practical guide Zthat confronts almost every potential problem…
with solid advice and good humor. It is destined to become a dog owner’s next best friend.’ Roger A. Caras President, ASPCAA Howell Dog Book of Distinction

Dog Training in 10 Minutes

‘Carol Lea Benjamin is the finest writer about dogs we have today.’ Job Michael Evans, former Monk of New Skete and author of the best selling How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend

Dog Training in 10 Minutes is Carol Lea Benjamin’s dog training book for the 1990s, geared specifically for people short on time but long on intention. Chapters cover:

• How to Know What Your Dog Is Feeling
• Teaching via Praise and Correction
• The Bare Minimum Sit; Give Your Paw; Housetraining; How to Stop Your Dog from Pulling
• Ten Secrets of Problem Correction
• Ten Ways to Play

There’s even a ‘Ten Minute Work Out’ to do before leaving your dog alone a great way to calm and satisfy your dog. With its down to earth style, practical advice and emphasis on the dog owner relationship, Dog Training in 10 Minutes is sure to follow in the wildly successful paw prints of Carol’s other books: Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog: Surviving Your Dog’s Adolescence; Second Hand Dog: How to Turn Yours into a First Rate Pet; Dog Problems; Dog Tricks with Captain Arthur Haggerty; Dog Training for Kids; and The Chosen Puppy: How to Select and Raise a Great Puppy from an Animal Shelter
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

Mother Knows Best

With more than 150,000 copies sold, Mother Knows Best is one of the top training books of all time. Based on the natural way a mother dog trains her puppies, Benjamin’s training method is humane, effective and all natural. Now we’ve put a bright new cover on a timeless classic.

Second-Hand Dog

Praise for Second Hand Dog ‘At long last, the book all animal shelters have been waiting for is here: Carol Lea Benjamin’s Second Hand Dog.’ Sue Sternberg ASPCA Report ‘…
goes right to the heart of what it’s all about…
‘ Barbara Dyer, Director Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter ‘Benjamin writes with love and sensitivity about caring for pets ‘adopted’ from a shelter.’ Publishers Weekly ‘…
a solid training program…
a great book.’ Job Michael Evans, Dog Fancy ‘Why a book like this has never before been written is beyond me. It is an invaluable guide to rehabilitating those myriad unfortunate dogs which have either never had a home or have been shuttled from one owner to another, losing confidence, trust and self esteem every step of the way. It is an absolute must for every owner who wants his second hand dog to regain the ability to become the warm, loving companion every dog should be.’ Kenneth A. Marden President, The American Kennel Club ‘…
Carol Lea Benjamin has written a witty, sound and thoroughly appropriate book on the extraordinary advantages that each of us who has second hand pets knows first hand. If you’re thinking about sharing your life with a pet or with another pet, read this book first!’ John F. Kullberg President ASPCA

See Spot Sit

‘Benjamin’s plain speech and charming cartoons disguise a first rate writer absolutely determined to improve the quality of each human/dog relationship.’ Dog WorldFirst time dog owners may be overwhelmed by advice from a seemingly endless array of experts. Acclaimed dog trainer Carol Lea Benjamin breaks the dog training process into manageable chunks, providing straightforward advice on all aspects of puppy training, behavior, and play. Benjamin’s advice is based on the most current research on dog thinking and communication, and each tip in the book is accompanied by a cartoon, which illustrates an instantly recognizable situation common to dog owners and provides easy to understand solutions. Benjamin’s visual format, essentials only text, and generous use of humor make See Spot Sit a perfect choice for anyone who wants to learn to better appreciate, communicate with, and understand his or her canine companion. 101 color illustrations.

Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep?

Deluxe, full color edition. This book describes the birth and growth of two litter sister border collies. One of the two remains with her breeder to become a working sheep dog, and the other is trained to be a service dog for her new owner. Illustrated throughout with color photos and sketches.