Nose to Nose: A Memoir of Healing

Nose to Nose is a reflection of how one beautiful, charismatic Bernese Mountain Dog named Moritz shows a capacity to comfort and distract from human suffering. The book chronicles author Schieber's trips with Moritz to visit hospital patients in Missoula, Montana. Patients feel instant rapport with the huge friendly dog and come to life during Moritz's visits. A woman paralyzed on her left side spontaneously hugs Moritz with her left arm. The dog plants his paws on the bed of a moaning three-year-old in a cast and touches noses with the child, who breaks into giggles. Thank goodness, Author Schieber doesn't attribute miracle healing to Moritz. But the dog's simple presence provides distraction from illness and brightens the spirit. Nose to Nose is an easy read. I finished it in one sitting. For its deceptively simple style, the book offers profound insight. The story is moving without being sentimental. A must for anyone who appreciates the powerful bond between dog and human.

This is truly a wonderful and moving book. It made me laugh and cry. If you are a dog owner and lover, you will love this book and relate to it. If you don't own a dog, you will want to adopt one after you read this book. This book, written by Barry Schieber, is written from the heart. I highly recommend this book for people of all ages.

Nose to Nose is a slim volume but within its pages lies a wealth of insight on the human condition and what it takes to understand and appreciate the extraordinary beauty and meaning in what seem to be mundane events. Schieber does not beat you over the head with his observations, rather he lays them gently in front of you, much as his dog Moritz gently lays his head on a childs leg, apparently doing nothing but nevertheless bringing an obviously healing energy with him. Schieber doesn't even ask that you take up his offerings, he just puts them there and leaves it totally up to you. Perhaps it's his Buddhist background at work (he was once Dean of Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, the teaching arm of Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Lamas to come to the U.S.), but whatever it is, he succeeds in permeating his book with the same gently penetrating energy that seems to emanate from his pal Moritz. In his End Note, Schieber makes clear the subtlety of Moritz's healing presence and the power of his being. Listing briefly a few of the kinds of experiences he has with Moritz and following each of them with the words "nothing much, " Schieber adds this: "Before long, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be once again reunited so intimately with life. Thank you, Moritz." And so this book, that also has the ability to reunite us with life, with the incredible beauty of the mundane that slips so quickly by as we look for something more important, more meaningful, more gratifying. Yes, Thank you Moritz, and thank you Barry Schieber for such a peaceful and gentle reminder of how much we miss as we wander often so blindly through this wonderful life. Nose to Nose is the kind of book that you either "get" or you don't, but believe me, its well worth taking the chance.