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The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of “Unadoptables” Taught Me about Service, Hope, and Healing Audiobook
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Publisher Description
From the author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, Scent of the Missing, comes a heartwarming and inspiring story that shows how dogs can be rescued and can rescue in return.
For her first book, Susannah Charleson was praised for her unique insight into the kinship between humans and dogs, as revealed through canine search and rescue. In The Possibility Dogs Charleson chronicles her journey into the world of psychiatric-service and therapy dogs trained to serve the human mind, a journey that began as a personal one. After a particularly grisly search led to a struggle with PTSD, Charleson credits healing to her partnership with search dog Puzzle. Inspired by that experience and having met dogs formally trained to assist in such crises, Charleson learns to identify abandoned dogs with service potential, often plucking them from shelters at the last minute, and how to train them for work beside hurting partners, to whom these second-chance dogs bring intelligence, comfort, and hope.
From black Lab puppy Merlin, once cast away in a garbage bag, who stabilizes his partner's panic attacks to Ollie, the blind and deaf terrier who soothes anxious children, to Jake Piper, the starving pit bull mix who goes from abandoned to irreplaceable, The Possibility Dogs illuminates a whole new world of canine potential.
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“This deeply moving and personal story chronicles the author’s experiences learning to identify potential service dogs in shelters and discovering her own need for therapy dogs, especially as she also struggles with kidney disease… Her story not only underlies the strength of the human-dog connection but also shows that rescued dogs from all sorts of backgrounds and breeds…can fill critical roles for humans in need…A touching and inspirational story.
— Library Journal (starred review)
Quotes
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“For everyone who is interested in the human-animal bond, this book is essential reading.”
— Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author -
“You don’t have to be an animal lover to be moved by this beautifully written and impassioned account of the author’s work rescuing dogs from shelters and training them to be service animals…This is the rare book that can change minds about the reality of animals’ emotional lives.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“The main subject is the less-familiar psychiatric-assistance dog, who knows when to respond to his or her owner’s subtlest behavior…The case studies are interesting and include frequent public skepticism toward tormented yet normal-seeming people assisted by dogs.”
— Booklist -
“The compassionate account of the author’s experiences with psychiatric service dogs…An inspiring and refreshingly optimistic reminder about the untapped possibilities that exist in the relationships between humans and dogs.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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An Audible.com bestseller
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About Susannah Charleson
Susannah Charleson is the author of several acclaimed books, including Scent of the Missing and The Possibility Dogs. A flight instructor, service dog trainer, and canine search-and-rescue team member, she founded the nonprofit organization The Possibility Dogs, which rescues, trains, and places dogs with people suffering “unseen” disabilities. She lives in Texas with her ever-growing brood of animals, canine, feline, and anything that needs rescuing.