Read Online A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher Sue Halpern 9781594632693 Books

Product details Paperback 320 pages Publisher Riverhead Books; Reprint edition (May 6, 2014) Language English ISBN-10 1594632693

A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher Sue Halpern 9781594632693 Books Reviews

• I am surprised to read so many odd/negative reviews of this wonderful book, and I surely don't understand how somebody could find this book too philosophical, 'not about the dog', and too deep.
  
  It is a lovely story of the work done by a thoughtful woman and her ever-so-pleasing canine companion as they embark on a journey that leads them to a more satisfied life (for both) and provides many a pleasurable moment to the people they interact with in a nursing home atmosphere.
  
  I'm quite certain that because Sue Halpern is a gifted, witty, and intelligent writer it is not surprising that she's able to tie all of this together with great wisdom from the ages with the words of Aristotle and the like thrown in for good measure.
  
  One reviewer said she wanted more dog stories Did you read this book? It's all about the dog, really. Pransky (the dog) helps her owner find meaning to her life, helps those she interacts with find meaning, and provides a few funny (and philosophical) moments for the reader to enjoy along the way. Often, that 'meaning' is invisible to those petting Pransky's soft head or loving paws, but it's there, and provides a lift to the heart that clearly evokes the 'therapy' part of this kind of work. Just by existing, Pransky brings an unknowing joy and peace to those he interacts with. Really all quite clever and touching.
  
  If you're looking for a story about a dog and nothing more, this is not your book. If you want a story about a dog and his owner and the people they interact with while doing their volunteer animal therapy work, this is it. It's not a "how-to" (although, there are some great tips to be found throughout the book, if you want to read this as great 'therapy dog experience' book) and it's not 'cut and dried'; it's so much more than that. It brought me to tears a number of times, and it made me laugh out loud quite a few more.
  
  As the owner of a 9 month old puppy who will be entering the world of therapy dog work when she's old enough, I enjoyed this book so much. Sue Halpern's incredible writing style brings warmth, wit, joy and sadness to the human life we live, and ties in all into the sparkling eyes of a loving dog.
  
  You won't regret this journey.
• This compassionate book about a women and her newly-minted therapy dog provides a clear-eyed view of how life is lived (to the end) in what may be a typical county nursing home. Loved the author's humorous account of training her dog for this role. Despite comments to the contrary, I enjoyed the structure she gave her book with the 7 virtues - you can take it or leave it, and still enjoy the progression through personal stories of the people she meets, loves and loses. Her realization of the blessings and harsh realities of the stage of life that brings residents to this place mirrors my own when I've visited relatives at nursing and rehabilitation centers (for briefer times). She accepts it all and they become devoted weekly visitors. A very insightful book that can draw you in quickly. P.S. the dog doesn't die in the end, as in so many dog-based books!
• The author references philosophers of the ages as she portrays the experience she shares with her caring dog and the folks that reside in the county nursing home she visits near her semi-rural home. This enchanting jaunt through the meeting of residents and staff, teaches the reader about humanity, now and in the past. Because the author has a Ph.D. in philosophy and teaches philosophy and, formally, medical ethics, this tour of a life experience is reach in sharing personal growth, founded on formal philosophical principals, to sort out sensitive issues of right, wrong, and what is meaningful.
  
  A reader can enjoy this from the point of view of a story, or from an internal examination perspective of one's views of the experiences recounted in the book.
• What a wonderful book! I have worked in long term care for over 30 years and so often both society and individuals discount the elderly, especially in nursing homes. These folks have incredible lives with pasts so worth celebrating, and Ms. Halpern gets that. I loved it also that the community where she volunteered was not a ritzy, high priced continuum of care community, but a regular nursing home with a loving staff. This happens so many times, but society doesn't see it that way. More people should take the time to discover what Ms Halpern discovered, what I discovered and what her wonderful dog discovered. There is value in the elderly. You just have to look a little harder.
• Great story about the experience of training and enjoying a therapy dog. It is really amazing the innate knowledge that animals have about people and their challenges as we age. I would recommend this book to anyone in the medical field especially, but it is a heartwarming story for anyone to enjoy. Anyone who wants to can make a difference!
• I so enjoyed this book. I admit that before I read it as part of a book club, I had already assumed it to be silly, emotional, and vapid. It was none of these things. I think better words to describe this book would be insightful, lovely, compelling, honest, and charming. Yes, this was a story about a dog and her owner visiting a nursing home, but it was also an educated and wise treatise on the philosophy of life, death, kindness, loss, virtue, hope, friendship, and love. It made my heart happy, even though there was also sadness intertwined.
  
  And I just want to hug that sweet dog.
• This dog book is unique in that it is about a dog's unbiased interaction with the elderly in a County nursing home. Because of Pransky's relationship with various members of this community, we see a change in the way his owner views the elderly in- habitants.
  
  I have an interest in therapy dogs and the work that they do in helping humans heal in a hospital setting. To see the value of a dog in improving the quality of life of older people, some of whom may have been 'put away' at the end of their lives, is particularly eye-opening.
  
  This is a unique and lovely dog book.
• Great visit into the processes of aging and human resilience and virtues through the eyes of a dog and her handler. The author has a wonderful way with her words and voice.