Melissa McCue-McGrath, CPDT-KA, wrote this book in response to a dog nearly killing a 6'4" man and his German shepherd in her home city of Somerville, MA. After that terrible incident, and a decade of working with frustrated dogs in urban centers, she decided to speak with professionals in related dog industries (veterinarians, rescue volunteers, behavior specialists, dog daycare providers, groomers and more) to identify why urban dogs are failing, and how we can do better for them. The same issues and solutions came up again, and again, and again across the board. This book explains how to find the right dog for a city environment, identifies how to find a good care taker for your pet, defines "behaviorist" and explains how to get exercise for an athletic dog in a city of leash-laws. Most importantly, this book lays out how exactly to find reputable help for any possible issue, and holds your hand if things are not working as hoped. This is not a dog training book - there are 1,000's on the market already. Instead, this book perfectly supplements any science-based training regimen. It gives insight as to why dogs do what they do, but perhaps more critically, it explains why people do what they do as they relate to dogs, and how we can all do better. We all need to do better – our urban dogs are in the balance.