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Hospice Hounds: Animals and Healing at the Borders of Death
Book by Rivera, Michelle
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2001
About the author
Michelle A. Rivera
12 books5 followersAbout the author:
Michelle A. Rivera is the author of several books including HOSPICE HOUNDS, Animals and Healing at the Borders of Death (Lantern Books); CANINES IN THE CLASSROOM, Raising Humane Children through Interactions with Animals;(Lantern Books) DO DOGS HAVE BELLY BUTTONS? 100 Questions and Answers about Dogs(Adams Media); THE SIMPLE LITTLE VEGAN SLOW COOKER and THE SIMPLE LITTLE VEGAN DOG BOOK(Book Publishers, Inc.) and ON DOGS AND DYING (Purdue University Press); and her first novel THE BELLY OF THE WHALE (KDP). She is also an essayist and has been published in the vegetarian essay book “Voices from the Garden.” She is a freelance writer/editor and along with her certified therapy dogs, a Humane Educator and R.E.A.D tutor. Michelle is a past blogger for PetaPrime.org and a writer for several pet-centric, online publications. Michelle lives in South Florida with her husband, John, an attorney, and is the proud grandmother of three lovely children, Austin, Alexander and Adrienne.
Michelle A. Rivera is the author of several books including HOSPICE HOUNDS, Animals and Healing at the Borders of Death (Lantern Books); CANINES IN THE CLASSROOM, Raising Humane Children through Interactions with Animals;(Lantern Books) DO DOGS HAVE BELLY BUTTONS? 100 Questions and Answers about Dogs(Adams Media); THE SIMPLE LITTLE VEGAN SLOW COOKER and THE SIMPLE LITTLE VEGAN DOG BOOK(Book Publishers, Inc.) and ON DOGS AND DYING (Purdue University Press); and her first novel THE BELLY OF THE WHALE (KDP). She is also an essayist and has been published in the vegetarian essay book “Voices from the Garden.” She is a freelance writer/editor and along with her certified therapy dogs, a Humane Educator and R.E.A.D tutor. Michelle is a past blogger for PetaPrime.org and a writer for several pet-centric, online publications. Michelle lives in South Florida with her husband, John, an attorney, and is the proud grandmother of three lovely children, Austin, Alexander and Adrienne.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 11, 2015
This was a book that made me cry again and again. It is extremely emotional and if you are an animal lover I think you will appreciate this book.
Katie and Woody are two dogs owned by veterinarians. They are trained as therapy dogs and taken to the local hospice regularly to visit people who are sick and their families. The stories in the book are touching, profound, and often sad.
The hospital I work at has therapy dogs and they really do change lives for patients and their families.
I think the most touching story for me was of a little boy who had lost a mother and was losing his sister to AIDS. He had been bitten by a dog previously so at first the boy is afraid of Woody but with kind reassurances he ends up finding comfort in the dog and something to do while his grandmother stands vigil for his sister.
This book was a quick read and perhaps a bit too short. I would have loved to read more particularly about how therapy dogs are trained. The books is just little stories about hospice patients and the one or two interactions they have with the dogs. I would have really enjoyed if there was to the book.
Also, the author’s message ended up being a bit confusing. Her overall message at the end of the book had little to do with therapy dogs and more to do with changing the laws so that more apartment buildings allowed dogs. Many of the people in the hospice and their family lost pets due to strict apartment rules that didn’t allow them to bring pets when they moved. This isn’t a bad message but it isn’t really what one expects the final “point” of a therapy dog book to be.
I think people who love dogs will enjoy the stories in this book and that it is worth a read (though honestly you will probably only read it one time).
Katie and Woody are two dogs owned by veterinarians. They are trained as therapy dogs and taken to the local hospice regularly to visit people who are sick and their families. The stories in the book are touching, profound, and often sad.
The hospital I work at has therapy dogs and they really do change lives for patients and their families.
I think the most touching story for me was of a little boy who had lost a mother and was losing his sister to AIDS. He had been bitten by a dog previously so at first the boy is afraid of Woody but with kind reassurances he ends up finding comfort in the dog and something to do while his grandmother stands vigil for his sister.
This book was a quick read and perhaps a bit too short. I would have loved to read more particularly about how therapy dogs are trained. The books is just little stories about hospice patients and the one or two interactions they have with the dogs. I would have really enjoyed if there was to the book.
Also, the author’s message ended up being a bit confusing. Her overall message at the end of the book had little to do with therapy dogs and more to do with changing the laws so that more apartment buildings allowed dogs. Many of the people in the hospice and their family lost pets due to strict apartment rules that didn’t allow them to bring pets when they moved. This isn’t a bad message but it isn’t really what one expects the final “point” of a therapy dog book to be.
I think people who love dogs will enjoy the stories in this book and that it is worth a read (though honestly you will probably only read it one time).
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review