Customer Reviews

Crossing the Rubicon: Celebrating the Human-Animal Bond in Life and Death

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As I had recently lost a dog, I must admit that I cried through the first third of the book. I was compelled to read on, and I'm so grateful that I did. By the end of the book, I felt so uplifted that I decided to read it again. I find that each time I read through Crossing the Rubicon, I glean something new from it. I must say, "this is the bible of dealing with the emotions of the human/animal bond."

Crossing the Rubicon: Celebrating the Human-Animal bond in Life and Death. 1999. By Julie Kaufman, DC.

This is a very well-written and heartwarming anthology of real stories and experiences with pets. As the title indicates, it is intended to offer the reader new perspectives on the loss of a beloved companion animal. It also conveys the important message the bereaving pet owner is not alone, in this grief.

The author has succeeded in transcending the usual view and fear of death that we all have been raised with. In her wisdom and perspective she perceives death as a natural phenomenon, and offers gentle guidance to her readers, in developing this theme.

Each chapter begins with a self-help approach to meditative visualization and healing. In addition to the many heartwarming memorial poems and stories, this helpful book presents a positive philosophy of undying love, that enriches and enhances the life of the surviving owner.

In presenting new viewpoints on pet death, Dr. Kaufman has also added five interviews of special people, in this wonderful collection. These include a counselor in pet bereavement, two forward-looking holistic veterinarians, and the last two with a spiritualist and animal communicator.

Although the recent emergence and popularity of holistic medicine is starting to prove its hitherto undiscovered values, the suggestions that some people can communicate with animals - living as well as dead - can be too extreme for many. But it is still very interesting to read what these people have to say.

Overall, Crossing the Rubicon is an excellent new literary experience in pet love and loss. We recommend its reading, and trust that a future edition will include the APLB website with the others listed as Internet resources.

My 19-year-old Persian cat, Tilly, is a regular visitor to Dr. Julie. She is the warmest, gentlest and most knowing doctor I have ever known. She has helped Tilly with her severe arthritis and greatly reduced her pain. This book is filled with stories of the animals Dr. Julie has known and treated. There is also an excellent interview with veterinarian accupuncturist Dr. Heather Evans. This book will speak to your heart.

Grief can be such an isolating experience. Many people are extremely uncomfortable with another person's pain. All too often, when that grief is from the loss of an animal, it can be regarded with even less tolerance from others. The comfort I found from reading this book was crucial to my healing process.

When my beloved dog, an 11-year cancer survivor on all natural remedies, died in my arms at the age of 19, few pet-loss books spoke to the depth of my pain. This book was one of the few that did. I found its descriptive collection of stories, situations, and ritual, that other pet parents went through, incredibly validating.

Not the book I wanted to address my loss at the time. I might try reading it again..but, I felt worse after I started reading it. This might be better to read prior to loss of pet.

This collection of stories, interviews, and poems is reassuring and inspiring. Anyone who has ever lost a pet they loved should find something to relate to in this book. The interviews with veterinarians are great and the first-person accounts of people dealing with their grief will make those suffering from a similar loss feel less alone and hopeless. Highly recommended!

Julie has carefully combined a variety of writings, both her own and from other pet owners, that show the depth of emotional and spiritual connection that can exist between humans and their animal companions. These stories are "from the heart." Read this and see if a story of your own isn't sparked to life.