Doctor Dogs

(Paperback)

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Now in paperback- New York Times bestselling author Maria Goodavage reveals in this delightful, warm, globetrotting tour of canine research that dogs are good medicine for everyone. Our definition of what a service dog does is evolving. With an unfathomably acute sense of smell and incredible neuroplasticity, dogs can be trained for a variety of tasks that go beyond commands like "fetch." In Doctor Dogs, with her signature wit and passion, Maria Goodavage travels the United States, Europe, and Asia investigating the ways dogs are opening new avenues of health care. We meet dogs and trainers who are keeping people safe during health crises-dogs who can interface with technology in case of emergency, if not actually ask Alexa to call an ambulance. Dogs are showing signs of being able to detect all kinds of cancer, heart disease, and seizures before any human notices them. Already, individuals with mental disorders rely on their service dog to get them through hallucinatory episodes. Maria spends time with families whose children have gotten relief from paralyzing anxiety decrease. Beyond such moving tales Maria takes readers behind the scenes in labs where, for example, scientists are testing whether dogs can be used at international border quarantine facilities-potentially protecting the health of a whole country. Maria also looks closer to home, reflecting on whether her own family could have had more time together if their pet had been trained in detection. Maria's readers love her, and the emotional element in Doctor Dogs delivers powerfully alongside the fascinating new set of practices and discoveries in medical science. Doctor Dogs continues Maria's adventure into the world of dogs and how they change our lives for the better.

Reviews

Praise for Doctor Dogs

An insightful and fascinating journey.
Psychology Today

This is a fascinating book about the amazing ways dogs can, and do, help people with physical and emotional problems. The title isnt stretching the truth: They really are Doctor Dogs. On the other handand I mean this as a complimentthey would make terrible lawyers.
Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times bestselling author of Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog anddozens of other books

Goodavage has done it again, with her fascinating investigation into the world of doctor dogs. Goodavage has expertly synthesized the latest scientific research on how dogs can even save us from invisible dangers lurking in our bodies. A testament to the extraordinary connection between dogs and ourselves, and one more piece of evidence that their love for us truly knows no bounds.
Brian Hare, New York Times bestselling author ofThe Genius of Dogs

Doctor Dogs is fascinating, beautifully researched and writtenand deeply moving. Maria Goodavage takes the reader around the globefrom laboratories developing a better e-nose or working to understand what compounds dogs may be alerting to in cancer samples, to homes where service and detection dogs are saving the lives of their owners on a daily and even hourly basis, and to facilities doing sophisticated and nuanced training with dogs that have fine noses and love treats, toys, and praise. The reader will meet seizure-detection dogs, dogs who can detect the dangerous bacterium c-difficile, and dogs who can calm their humans suffering from PTSD. Goodavage doesnt shy away from the training challenges, the sometimes disappointing study results, and the problems with dishonest organizations taking advantage of desperate families. But the reader comes away feeling hope and profound admiration for the complex new roles that dogs are playing in helping humansand for the dedicated researchers, trainers, and owners who work tirelessly and lovingly with our best friends.
Cat Warren, author of theNew York Times bestseller What the Dog Knows

Its often said that dogs are mans best friend, and Doctor Dogs depicts the healing power of canines in a very literal sense. I was completely enthralled by Goodavages research and stories of dogs in the medical field, and in awe of its dramatic takeaways. This book is equally enlightening as it is heartwarming.
Craig Grossi author of Craig & Fred: A Marine A Stray Dog and How They Rescued Each Other

Introducing us to a memorable international cast of dogs and their humans, Doctor Dogs captures how dogs are putting their natural abilities to work on behalf of human physical, neurological, and psychological health; explains the science behind these feats; opens a window into expanding possibilities for medical service dogs; and most of all honors the extraordinary social intelligence of dogs and the life-enhancing relationships people forge with them.
Hilary Hinzmann, co-author, with John W. Pilley, of Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words

Blending painstaking research with journalistic prowess, Maria Goodavage takes the reader into the inspirational world of canine clinicians, highlighting the gifts of an exceptional nose and soulful eyes. Fetch a copy to be enlightened, humbled, and amazed, as Maria never loses sight of the most important intangible of all the emotional connectivity we recognize and love in every dog.
Nick Trout, New York Times bestselling author of The Wonder of Lost Causes

If youre a dog lover, Doctor Dogs is bound to become one of your all-time favorite books. Its a hope-inspiring testament to the power of the human-animal bond a bond that science is showing to be even more powerful than we ever suspected. Youll fall in love with every dog in this book, and youll swoon with happiness and relief for all the humans theyve helped. Doctor Dogs gets four paws up!
Laura T. Coffey, author of the national bestseller My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts and a senior writer and editor for the TODAY show

If you take an amazing subject and put it in the hands of a wonderful writer, you getSPOILER ALERTa truly fantastic book. Every single page of Maria Goodavages Doctor Dogs is made up of remarkable research and storytelling.
David Rosenfelt, national bestselling author ofDogtrippingand 31 other books

Doctor Dogs is a captivating, groundbreaking, meticulously researched book about the incredible new ways dogs are sniffing out disease and helping people with physical and mental health issues. Maria Goodavage, who has been writing beloved books about dogs for thirty years, brings readers behind the scenes around the world and immerses them in the fascinating, cutting-edge research dogs are doing, as well as the riveting stories of how doctor dogs are saving the lives of their humans every day. Youll laugh, youll cry, youll want to hug the nearest dog! (The life a doctor dog saves may one day be your own.)
Dr. Marty Becker, Americas Veterinarian, Founder FearFreeHappyHomes.com

Maria Goodavage takes the reader on a fascinating journey to uncover the amazing things dogs can do for their human friends. From canines that calm the veteran with PTSD and the child called upon to face her tormentor in court, through dogs that sniff out cancers, malaria and other diseases, to the dogs finding unprecedented roles supporting people with autism, schizophrenia and myriad other ailments. Goodavage shows that there are many people who, when they say, my dog saved my life, mean this, not in some metaphorical sense, but in a completely concrete way: without their dog they would not be alive, or certainly their lives would be greatly constrained. Along the way, Goodavage is a witty and compassionate guide and supremely well-informed. I learnt a lot!
Professor Clive Wynne, director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University and author of Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You

Greys Anatomy meets A Dogs Purpose in journalist and bestselling author Maria Goodavages fascinating new look into the world of doctor dogsA feel-good, hopeful tail!
Womans World

"Goodavage, who traveled thousands of miles and interviewed many individuals to gather information for this book, mixes straightforward science with emotionally rich stories of the effects these dogs have on the lives of those they assist. The result is a hard-to-put-down book, and a reminder that the ancient, hardwired human/canine bond is a gift that keeps on giving."
The Bark

Author Bio

Maria Goodavage, veteran journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Soldier Dogs, Top Dog, and Secret Service Dogs, lives in San Francisco with her family and yellow Lab, Gus Kilroy.