Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs

I just recently completed this book and was positively amazed at its power. Once I picked it up, I found myself sneaking around so that I would be able to read it uninterrupted. The content blends little known information on dog history and lore with the most awesome stories. I indeed believe that to be able to draw the audience into the words on the page is a gift and Ms. Sakson is certainly gifted. I laughed at some of the stories, smiled and of course, shed a tear at some of the other "tails" that were shared. When I reached the end of the book, I looked for more pages, but there were not any. I am always able to tell the best books whenI am left wanting more and I was looking!

To be honest with you, I thought it would be much like the other books out there that talk about the wonderful ways that animals affect our lives; which is great. I thought I'd read a chapter last night, then maybe another tonight etc. Well, once I started to read it, I couldn't stop. It is a great book!! My one chapter tonight plan; well, I finally had to stop so I could get to bed or I wouldn't have gotten up for work this morning. I am about half way through the book already. It is a great book!!

I got this book for Christmas. I didn't intend to read it right away, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. The stories were some of the most well-written stories I've ever encountered, and I read a lot. It turned out to be full of things I never knew; I never knew there is a patron saint of dogs. I never knew the Aztecs believed in the healing power of dogs and raised their own breed. I had heard vague stories about dogs detecting cancer, but this book laid it out and explained the whole thing. Turns out that even though scientists like their airplanes swept by bomb-sniffing dogs, they won't believe those same dogs can tell doctors which sample contains bladder cancer or lung cancer. So doctors like the ones at the Pine Street Clinic don't get funding for their projects, which could save all of our lives! My family gave me this book because they know my favorite writer is Temple Grandin. She recommends this book. I could see why. It is clearly written, as her books are, and every story is backed up with scientific evidence. Reading about how devoted these dogs are to their owners, how concerned they were every day about telling the owner if they were going to have a seizure or if they detected cancer or even just comforting the owner with their presence almost made me cry. Why do dogs do that? We are not always that nice to them. If you like dogs, you'll like this book.

Everyone by now is familiar with stories of the amazing powers of therapy dogs: the old person in the nursing home whose blood pressure drops when they pet a visiting dog; the frightened child in the hospital who is willing to endure a painful treatment with a dog by her side; the abused or autistic child that will talk to a dog when they won't open up to an adult. But this book on the "healing power of dogs" goes far far beyond that. Ranging across time and culture, Sharon Sakson, in her engaging and lively style, tells stories that seem almost too amazing for belief. Except that she documents them with the hardest possible scientific evidence. If you are one of those people who believe that the bond between human and dog is far more profound than the word "pet" can ever convey, then this is the perfect book for you. And even if you're a person who places dogs in the same category as goldfish, but you enjoy a fascinating well-told story, you'll enjoy this book tremendously.

This book is surprisingly good. The new discoveries about dogs are fascinating. I loved the stories about ordinary dogs who love their owners so much they are able to figure out when something is wrong with them, like the dogs who alert to seizures or migraines, and the dogs who detect cancer in breath or urine samples at a rate better than any known test. This book makes you think, again and again, Aren't dogs wonderful? They give us so much. I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. I'm giving it to all my dog loving friends for Christmas. And let's face it, any book recommended by Temple Grandin has got to be good. She is the goddess of all dog writing.