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The underdogs : children, dogs, and the power of unconditional love / Melissa Fay Greene.

Summary:

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]

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.
Subject:
Shirk, Karen.
Service dogs.
Service dogs > Training.
Animals as aids for people with disabilities.
Human-animal relationships > Psychological aspects.
Children and animals.
Pets > Social aspects.
Dogs > Therapeutic use.

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.
Sort by distance from:
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 -

Accessibility Features

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1001 . ‡aGreene, Melissa Fay, ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)362842
24514. ‡aThe underdogs : ‡bchildren, dogs, and the power of unconditional love / ‡cMelissa Fay Greene.
250 . ‡aFirst edition
264 1. ‡aNew York, New York : ‡bEcco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, ‡c[2016]
264 4. ‡c©2016.
300 . ‡a344 pages : ‡billustrations ; ‡c24 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 323-336) and index.
5050 . ‡aJuke -- 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.
520 . ‡aFrom 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.
60010. ‡aShirk, Karen. ‡0(CARDINAL)626613
650 0. ‡aService dogs. ‡0(CARDINAL)298299
650 0. ‡aService dogs ‡xTraining.
650 0. ‡aAnimals as aids for people with disabilities. ‡0(CARDINAL)585041
650 0. ‡aHuman-animal relationships ‡xPsychological aspects.
650 0. ‡aChildren and animals. ‡0(CARDINAL)233405
650 0. ‡aPets ‡xSocial aspects. ‡0(CARDINAL)249172
650 0. ‡aDogs ‡xTherapeutic use.
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902 . ‡aMARCIVE 201912
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