Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Every Dog Has a Gift: true stories of dogs who bring hope & healing into our lives... A Review

Inspiring Stories of Hope & Healing...

There's a reason dogs are referred to as "Man's Best Friend", dogs have the unwritten power to bring us joy and make our worst days better just by offering us their unconditional love. Rachel McPherson knows this all too well as the founder & executive director of The Good Dog Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to all aspects of dog-assisted therapy. "Good Dogs brings comfort and joy to people receiving chemotherapy; restore a sense of control to people whose lives have been upended by an illness or disability; serve as the perfect audience to help disadvantaged children practice & improve reading skills; comfort the bereaved and victims of disaster; and much more."

But Rachel doesn't limit her beliefs to dogs just specifically trained to be therapy dogs or "service" dogs, she believes all dogs are therapy dogs in one way or another. In every dog has a gift: true stories of dogs who bring hope & healing into our lives by Rachel McPherson, you will read simple inspiring stories of dogs who make a difference. The stories are heart warming, honest & moving. From the opening story of Chad who changes the life of a little boy with severe autism to Sierra, a three-year-old Lab who helps a wheel-chair bound Vietnam Veteran gain his freedom again you will be touched. There's the story of Fidel a cute little papillon who seemingly absorbs the grief of a woman taking the ferry ride to visit Ground Zero after the tragedy of 9/11 and who thanked Fidel after the trip for easing her pain; and the story of Pixel who makes all the difference in the world to the homeless Veteran who cares for her.

Every Dog Has a Gift is more than just stories though, it's a great resource! There are lists of some wonderful programs, such as The Good Dog Foundation Reading Program, which pairs dogs with children in libraries and schools, or Canine Companions for Independence, which is an organization that provides trained dogs for people with disabilities. Rachel also shares with us advice on choosing a dog, caring for a dog and fun things to do with your dog! (one of which is read to your dog! I already do, do you?) Plus Rachel talks about caring for our own dogs with disabilities and lists organizations that can help us help them.

As a dog lover, I enjoyed this book so much! The stories were inspiring, but learning about the worthwhile programs where the dogs went out into the community was eye opening! So many wonderful programs where dogs help heal our hearts and help us live better lives! Well written and entertaining, eye-opening and inspiring, Every Dog Has a Gift will bring greater awareness to the amazing powers of our four legged friends to bring us happiness. And it's a good read too!

Every Dog Has a Gift by Rachel McPherson will be released March 18th! 5% of all the proceeds will be donated to The Good Dog Foundation! Want to learn more about The Good Dog Foundation? They have a great website at www.thegooddogfoundation.org where you can learn about the organization and learn how you and your furry friend can become volunteers in your community. I want to thank Penguin Books for sending me a copy of Every Dog Has a Gift for review!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

9 comments:

Heidi V said...

This would be a great gift for a dog lover, and what a great foundation!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Heidi!
You are so right- great gift and it is a terrific foundation!

couponmom said...

This sounds like a great book. Great foundation and a great review

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Couponmom,
Book really is an eye-opener. I never realized all the programs available to help that use the simple gift of a dogs unconditional acceptance. And the stories are touching.

Robert McCarty said...

After reading this excellent review, I regret you don't review books for kids and dog lovers as I would so like to send you Planet Of The Dogs...please visit www.planetofthedogs.net and read the first chapters...if you would like us to send you a complimentary reader copy, email me at barkingplanet@aol.com...we support several therapy dog reading programs, including one in Danbury.
Robert

Unknown said...

This great! Thanks for linking this to the party. I would have hated not to read your review of this heartwarming - feelgood book!

-CYM

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

I don't know why reading to the family dog didn't occur to me before, as I once read to a plant for a Science project. LOL! It sounds like a great idea for a bibliophile with a beloved pet dog. =)

Allie said...

I NEED to read this book! I absolutely believe that every dog has a gift. Mine have completely changed my life for the better.

Anonymous said...

What a great book. Irony Lily just came up and gave me her; 'your sitting in my chair', groan', as I read this post, of course I moved, so as a dog slave I have to admit to an interest in this one.

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