Where the Trail Grows Faint: A Year in the Life of a Therapy Dog Team
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Book Overview
"This is Hannah," Lynne Hugo introduces her chocolate Labrador retriever to an aged woman in a wheelchair at the Golden View Nursing Home. "Would you like to pat her?"
"I don't know," the woman responds warily. "Dogs are complicated."
So, of course, is life, especially as the years accumulate and the body declines. In fact, it is precisely the most painful complications that Hugo hopes to ease with Hannah, her exuberant therapy dog.
Where the Trail Grows Faint is the story of Hugo's experiences with Hannah and the elderly patients they visit. In return for their visits, Hugo unexpectedly receives an outpouring of stories as the residents respond to Hannah's antics and affection. As Hugo's involvement deepens, she begins to see her own life and her care for her elderly parents in a new perspective. Interweaving the elders' tales--of old loves and ancient dreams, abandonment and loneliness, and the struggle for dignity--with her own family's story, she creates a richly textured collective portrait of the often-hidden world of the aged. At the same time, she crafts an eloquent meditation on the fundamental human need to nurture and remain connected to other people, to animals, and to the natural world.
"I don't know," the woman responds warily. "Dogs are complicated."
So, of course, is life, especially as the years accumulate and the body declines. In fact, it is precisely the most painful complications that Hugo hopes to ease with Hannah, her exuberant therapy dog.
Where the Trail Grows Faint is the story of Hugo's experiences with Hannah and the elderly patients they visit. In return for their visits, Hugo unexpectedly receives an outpouring of stories as the residents respond to Hannah's antics and affection. As Hugo's involvement deepens, she begins to see her own life and her care for her elderly parents in a new perspective. Interweaving the elders' tales--of old loves and ancient dreams, abandonment and loneliness, and the struggle for dignity--with her own family's story, she creates a richly textured collective portrait of the often-hidden world of the aged. At the same time, she crafts an eloquent meditation on the fundamental human need to nurture and remain connected to other people, to animals, and to the natural world.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0803224516
ISBN13:9780803224513
Release Date:July 2009
Publisher:Bison Books
Length:160 Pages
Weight:0.46 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 5.4" x 8.3"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Heartfelt stories !
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Lynne Hugo offers us a beautiful, heartfelt narrative on day to day visits with her therapy dog. A caring depiction of the work we do - and all the intense feelings that are brought up within therapeutic visits. A lovely, lovely read! Kate Nicoll, MSW, author: Soul Friends
Perfect book for therapy dog handlers
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
GREAT BOOK if you're looking for help and inspiration training and working with your therapy dog. The author shines a personal light on the training process and all its mishaps--which built my confidence. She and her (rescued) Lab got certified with Therapy Dogs International, which is virtually the same as the Delta Society. This book is about her first year working with her dog, and she includes all the extra techniques she figured out in the field to make them a better, more effective team. There are some hilarious incidents related in this book, along with stories that put the work in life context and show the meaning and true impact. Beautifully written, too. Very highly recommended.
Had difficulty putting this book down...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I have no great interest in either dogs or in gerontology, however, I do have a beloved 92 year old friend who has been in and out of two different nursing homes in the past year. Feeling the need for more information and support, I picked up TRAILS and decided to read it. What a good decision that was! I not only gleaned new insights,I was awed with the job Ms. Hugo did presenting such complex issues with balance, sensitivity, compassion and humor. This helpful and very readable book is not only a must for all of us who face making decisions about aging loved ones, but for those of us who want to make informed choices about our own futures.
I am so glad I found this book!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I LOVED this book! Having worked in a nursing home during summers in college, I know how sad some of them can be. I wish Hannah and Lynne had been around to bring light into the lives of the residents in the home where I worked. I laughed out loud as often as I shed a few tears while reading this book. I also felt compelled to read certain sections out loud to my husband (not a dog-lover) who got a chuckle out of them as well. Just coincidentally, we both attended a seminar about long-term care insurance a couple of days ago, when I was just midway through the book. I couldn't help but think that my discovery of the book was perhaps not entirely coincidental. I loved the notion that caregivers benefit as much as those being cared for, and that "creative nurturing" comes in all forms. "Anything counts, everything matters." Whether you're trying to help aging parents make decisions about their care, wondering how to plan for your own future, or just wanting to reflect on life, death, hope, and the joy and comfort that animals bring to us, I couldn't recomment a book more highly than this one.
With Every Step It Takes, You'll Love This Book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
"What to make of a diminished thing" is the question Robert Frost asks at the end of his poem, "The Oven Bird." Lynne Hugo's marvelous book asks the same question as she and her therapy dog Hannah traverse the landscape of nursing homes, illness and loss, care giving and middle age. And like Frost, Hugo draws radiance from a somber subject. It's a book of heartache, but equally a book of laughter, with deep lessons about accepting change and finding grace in unlikely places. You'll forge a bond with these two wise travelers, human and canine, as they help us to define a life well lived.
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