About a year ago Brenda Tenten reviewed a new American publication Dog & Handler. At the time she commented on the ambitious breadth of canine activities it aimed to cover, and commented that she wondered how it might develop over time. So she wasn't altogether surprised when she was asked to look at it again a year on.

It is still as well presented as before, with an excellent standard of writing (I'm an English teacher, so this is important to me!) The line drawings, including the cover are brilliant too, capturing the essence of what they illustrate. Photos are clear and support, rather than distract from the text.

In addition to articles about Agility, the A4 sized magazine covers Rally Obedience, Herding, Flyball, Dog Sledding and Freestyle in some depth. I found this concentration on a few sports an improvement as the articles were more detailed than in the first edition, which now seems a little superficial by contrast. Letters from readers are always interesting to read, and I found the adverts for agility camps and canine courses of many types made me envious of the USA handlers.

What else would I like to see? As someone from 'across the pond' I would have liked a course plan or two to accompany the CPE article. It's always nice to work out how you would have run the course, and even to try courses in training. The international element would have added that fizz.

 I have to say that the picture of an Australian Cattle Dog flying over a hurdle on page 8 finally sold it to me, if that was necessary. When you have a breed which is rarely seen in this country doing agility, you get quite excited when you see pictures of them competing.

Would I recommend it?
A resounding 'Yes.' I'm even contemplating taking out a subscription even though it does not cover the UK in its articles. In my opinion, this magazine has 'come of age' well, and could give any other working-canine publication a real run for its money.

Congratulations Elise Paffrath - you've done a great job!

To order your subscription of Dog & Handler, just write, phone, fax or e-mail to:-
Elise Paffrath
234 Butternut Hill Road, Guilford, Vermont 05301, USA
Tel. +001 (802) 254 1209
E-mail: ebreeze@sover.net
http://www.itspawsible.com/links.htm

The Reviewer
Brenda Tenten has been doing agility for approximately 14 years. She lives in Huddersfield with two Border Collies and an Australian Cattle Dog. A member of Newton Heath DTC and instructor, she also judges.

Sample Contents

• Story of a Rescue Doberman

• Agility Success on Wheels

• Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Finals

• NYC World Frisbee Finals

• Big Air

• Skijoring

• APDT Conference Sampler

• NADAC Championships

• Stray on the Tracks

• Winter Cross Training

• Flyball's Hardest Working Dogs

• Got Rhythm, Music, a Dog?

• Dog & Handler Camp Directory

• Stray on the Tracks

• Carolina Border Collie rescue

Departments: Speak - Letters from Readers, Reflections from the Editor, Agility, Obedience, Herding, Freestyle, Frisbee, Title, Title!  Calendar of Events, Classified Ads, Web Resources, Dog & Handler Subscription Form.