The underdogs : children, dogs, and the power of unconditional love / Melissa Fay Greene.
From two-time National Book Award nominee Melissa Fay Greene comes a profound and surprising account of dogs on the front lines of rescuing both children and adults from the trenches of grief, emotional, physical, and cognitive disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder. "The Underdogs" tells the story of Karen Shirk, felled at age twenty-four by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as a ventilator-dependent, immobile patient, who was turned down by every service dog agency in the country because she was "too disabled." Her nurse encouraged her to tone down the suicidal thoughts, find a puppy, and raise her own service dog. Karen did this, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life. "How many people are stranded like I was," she wondered, "who would lead productive lives if only they had a dog?" A thousand state-of-the-art dogs later, Karen Shirk's service dog academy, 4 Paws for Ability, is restoring broken children and their families to life. Long shunned by scientists as a manmade, synthetic species, and oft- referred to as "Man's Best Friend" almost patronizingly, dogs are finally paid respectful attention by a new generation of neuroscientists and animal behaviorists. Melissa Fay Greene weaves the latest scientific discoveries about our co-evolution with dogs with Karen's story and a few exquisitely rendered stories of suffering children and their heartbroken families. Written with characteristic insight, humanity, humor, and irrepressible joy, what could have been merely touching is a penetrating, compassionate exploration of larger questions: about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780062218513
- ISBN: 0062218514
- Physical Description: 344 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition
- Publisher: New York, New York : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2016]
- Copyright: ©2016.
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-336) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Juke -- 4 paws for ability -- Connor -- Karen & Piper -- Lucy -- Casey & Connor -- Karen & Ben -- Logan -- Hero dogs -- Iyal -- Shelter dogs -- Prison dogs -- Lucy & Jolly -- Casey & Connor II -- Logan & Juke -- Eddie Hill & Timber & Dante & Keeper & Jiminy -- Micha & Casey -- Iyal & Chancer.
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Available copies
- 10 of 10 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 2 of 2 copies available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 10 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | 362.4 GRE (Text) | 36015000090387 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Sneads Ferry Branch Library | 362.4 GRE (Text) | 36015001217674 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
