Customer Reviews

The Healing Power of Pets: Harnessing the Amazing Ability of Pets to Make and Keep People Happy and Healthy

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The fact that this book was written by a co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" (a book that I loved) is one of the things that made me pick it up. However, "Healing Power of Pets" is more than a collection of animal anecdotes. There's a lot of good, solid scientific information woven in, too. Dr. Marty Becker, a veterinarian who has worked with Animal-Assisted Therapy programs, cites numerous studies which show that people who are bonded with their pet(s) lead longer, heathier lives.

On page 74, for example, he refers to a 1995 study conducted by Erka Friedmann, a professor at the Department of Health and Nutritional Studies at Brooklyn College. She recruited 392 patients who had suffered heart attacks and were part of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial. Of these, 87 owned dogs and 282 did not. A year later, only one of the dog owners had died, while 19 of the non-dog-owners had passed away. In other words, people who own a dog are far more likely to be alive a year after having a heart attack.

Why is this? Many reasons are given in the book: dog owners get more exercise, they take better care of themselves because they feel responsible for the dog, they relax while petting the dog, they are less lonely because of the dog, etc. Other studies have shown that the act of stroking an animal's fur lowers the human's blood pressure like a form of meditation.

As a Jewish educator reading this book, I could not help but reflect on the fact that, compared to the general population, far fewer Jews have pets. In the Orthodox and Hasidic communities, especially, it is rare to see a dog in the house. One reason is because dogs were used to track and kill people during the Holocaust and other persecutions, so they have bad associations for many Jews. I understand this. Still, I found myself wondering how many of those 282 non-dog-owners in the Brooklyn College study were Jewish. (Brooklyn has a high percentage of Jews.) Are we allowing Old World fears about dogs to deprive us of a valuable form of therapy?

The pet doesn't have to be a dog, however. Cats (of which I have ten!) are equally therapeutic. So are other species, such as birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. Even watching a tank full of fish can help a person to relax. The important thing is the Bond between the animal(s) and the human(s). Reading this book confirmed in a scientific way what I have always believed in my heart: this special Bond is a healing gift that God designed into the very fabric of creation.

We are slowly killing ourselves. We drive too fast, eat too much, are sleep-deprived and are fried, frazzled and hassled. E multi-task til we drop. More of us commit suicide with a fork than with a gun. Laptops, desk tops, PDA's entomb us in an icy digital dungeon.

So what does this have to do with pets? Dr. Becker and Danelle Morton have crafted a brilliant story. We need the CAT scan and pills. But we also need the puppy and the kitten to heal our bodies, mend our minds and soothe our troubled souls. And make us smile again.

With rock-solid data from psychologists, immunologists and epidemiologists the authors take us by the hand and show the healing power of animals. The style is soft, comfortable and enticing. You cannot put this book away. The Bond between people, patiends and pets is real, assessble and can no longer be ignored.

But have a hankie handy. A guarantee: no one finishes the book with a dry eye. But we feel good about the tears. Like the kind we shed with a good laugh.

So, if we want to go the distance, live long enough to cash in the 403-b, read this book. It will change your life and you can bet on it.

Though outside my normal lane of fiction, this reviewer read this book because of my love for dogs and cats. My spouse has remarked that my significant other was my beloved dog Max who has to be in heaven still emitting beams of healing to me. Along with Danelle Morton, Dr. Marty Becker of TV fame and author of some of the Chicken Soup books provides an insightful look at healing miracles involving pets. Medical research has begun to correlate the healthy relationship between a dog or a cat and a human especially a person in need of healing.

THE HEALING POWER OF PETS describes how animals cure or prevent illnesses and encourage couch potatoes to get off their butt and join them in activities. The authors also provide true-life stories of pets enhancing the lives of their owners often in miraculous ways that science does not understand in spite of gathering high statistical relationships between health and owners. This well-written book is clearly for pet lovers who know inside their hearts the meaning of "harnessing the amazing ability of pets to make and keep people healthy ".

Harriet Klausner

In the Healing Power of Pets, Dr. Marty Becker and Danelle Morton remind us that good health, like living a good life, is not simply an issue of absence of disease. Good health is achieved by a balance between factors influencing body, mind and spirit. In this book, the authors explore how animals aid humans in all of these categories. Animals help the body by encouraging exercise and stimulating nerves. They help the mind by providing structure in the daily activities, giving a person someone outside themselves to think and care for, facilitating social contacts and breaking through barriers of isolation. They benefit the spirit by assisting people to achieve a meditation- like relaxation and experience living in the moment.

While this book will be a delight to most pet owners, I believe that its utility goes beyond that. Health care providers, mental health councilors and educational specialists will all find food for thought in this well researched book. One of the first things that I do when reading a non-fiction book is to flip to the back and see what information is referenced. This book has an extensive bibliography and considerable scientific material is cited. However, it is a credit to Dr. Becker's writing style that the narrative flows seamlessly from personal stories to scientific research that illustrate the same point. As a result, the information is conveyed in a way that is engaging as well as being educational.

While we derive many benefits from our association with animals, we must remember that the Human Animal Bond needs to always be a two way street of mutual benefits. Too often we fall short of our responsibilities to them, as the high numbers of animals abandoned at shelters attests. All too often, reality doesn't live up to our expectation and it is the animals who suffer because of this. So I was quite pleased that Dr. Becker included information designed to improve the human side of the Human Animal Bond, from discussing how to select the best pet for your needs to providing the needed mental and physical requirements for your pet to live a full and healthy life. In this way, Dr. Becker provides additional balance to this book.

Some of these stories will make you think. Some will make you cry. Some stories will inspire awe and wonder at the animals who have developed remarkable abilities to detect problems and assist humans. In most cases though, the animal helps humans, not because of what they do, but simply by being what they are. It is our challenge to take this gift and use it wisely.

Dr. Marty Becker's "Healing Power of Pets" should be required reading at the high school level. Too many people use their pets as commodities. If they read this book, then maybe they'd realize what a treasure animals really are. When Becker talks of his pain and humiliation after a debilitating back injury, he finds solace in his barn. How? As he watches his wife do his chores, fear, shame and embarrassment overwhelm him. But that pain eases as he is nuzzled by his horse. The soothing velvet muzzle and warm breath on his neck radiate through his body. The truth dawns on Becker. There at home, he will be healed.

Becker recounts story after story of animals helping humans. The love and affection that they pour out on us is unequaled. They ease our loneliness, help cancer and heart patients, assist in recovery after earthquakes, floods and tornados. They even assist in counseling in disasters like Columbine. Dogs are used in reading programs in libraries. Fish soothe agitated, developmentally delayed people. A cat purring like a teakettle calms nervousness. The animal world offers, happiness, companionship, and most of all, responsibility. Not their's to us, but our stewardship of them.

Read this fine book and learn more about yourself. Learn what you owe your pet. And, vow to lend your assistance to end animal abuse of all kinds.

We all have a sense that our pets make us feel better but Dr. Becker actually did the research and explains how, for example, our animal companions lower our cholesterol, settle our blood pressure, and generally improve our lives.

What is refreshing is that he also looks at our pets' lives and shows how we affect them (and how we can make them feel better). This is a respectful, intelligent book about a bond that many of us feel, but few of us understand.

-Clea Simon, author, "The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats"

This book reminded me of why I chose veterinary medicine as a career - my role in nurturing the powerful bond between pets and humans allows me to experience benefits that will last a lifetime! I am challenged by the thought that my care for pets transcends the line between the species, and enhances the lives of humans as well!!

This book is very well-written, with easy readability. Dr. Becker's style is humorous, poignant, and effective. It is also very practical - the pet selection section is one of the best I have seen, and is a fun way to choose YOUR perfect pet!

This book is a MUST-READ if you are:

* An animal health-care professional - you will be reminded of the importance of your job - your care for animals doesn't end there - it translocates to their owners as well!

* A HUMAN health-care professional - you will be challenged to think in new ways how to care for the physical and mental well-being of the people you care for - You will be amazed when you harness the power of the Bond at your patient's improvement in health and spirit!

* An animal lover - reinforces what we all know - there is something absolutely magical about our relationship with our pets! Pets deserve a hallowed place in our homes and our hearts!

* A person in pain - I urge you to consider Dr. Becker's sage advice - you will be blessed in experiencing the unconditional love and healing power that a pet may bring to your life!

Dr. Becker and Danelle Morton describe the positive effects that animals bring into our lives. They focus mostly on dogs and cats in this book and only briefly touch on other pets such as birds or rodents. They combine individual testimonials concerning animals assisting sick humans with data from researchers who study animal behaviour, and interviews with therapists who use animals for therapy. He sites several examples of nursing homes that have resident pets trained to assist in therapy sessions and discusses how these animals bring joy to lonely and/or ill elderly. More importantly, Dr. Becker details the type of pet best suited for a particular personality or illness.

He candidly points out that pets are not for everyone; that sharing your home with an animal requires great commitment and sometimes expense. He outlines the required care, loving and guidance needed. For me, this was the most important point in his book.

This book is well written, easy to read and absent of technical jargon. This book is not a treatise of recent scientific research on the subject of animal behavior or the use of animals in therapy. Most of the heart-warming stories are testimonials rather than solid scientific data, but anyone who truly shares a bond with an animal will appreciate these stories.

I recommend this book for anyone thinking of getting a pet, who already has a pet, or who simply loves animals. I particularly recommend this book to folks who see animals only as a commodity or worker/helper/hunter. It's an enlightening book.

There are so many losses we deal with throughout our lives. Relationships, jobs, dreams. And most certainly we lose those close to us - friends, parents, pets. And many times just a a mere 'change' is a loss.

For me, any book that opens my awareness or raises my conscious level is a tool for healing. Certinly this is true with Dr. Marty Becker's, "The Healing Power of Pets."

It stengthened the bond I have with my puppy, Nubble - while it opened an awareness to all the dogs (and people) we play with at the huge dog park in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In the process it healed spots I was unaware I could heal as I still have such vivid memories of pets from my past. And they are linked to my memories of life. Marty's book gave a new sheen to the memories of these beloved critters that honored me with their unguarded love. His book enhanced the memories, enhanced those bonds.

Pets, as life, carry a resonsibility. This book adds honor and respect to that responsibility.

This book has become a great gift for me to offer. To friends going through any changes or loss, this offers hope. And to friends just becoming "parents" of a critter, this book enables them to be aware of the potential they have for bonding with their animals in a love of a higher level. Allows them to know of the prize they hold in their hands.

Pets are merely a form of life. Bonding better with a pet allows us to bond better with people, with life...and with ourselves. Thanks for the magic, Marty!

Most of us are slowly killing ourselves. More of us commit suicide with a fork than with a gun. We drive too fast, eat too much, are stressed out, fried, frazzled and hassled. By the way, we are also sleep deprived. Cellphones and computers keep us caged in a digital dungeon.

So what does this have to do with pets ? Read on. Reading this book may save your life or that of a loved one. Dr. Becker and Danelle Morton present the evidence: pets are the vectors to heal our bodies, mend our minds and soothe our troubled souls.

The data are rock solid and are presented in a fascinating
format. But better have a hankie present. A guarantee: you will not finish the book with a dry eye.

Even a hardened cynic will be converted. Sure, we need the pills and the CAT scan but we also need the puppy and the cat to help us go the distance. Want to live long enough to cash in your 403-B ? Then follow Dr. Becker's advice. The Bond between people, patients and pets is real, quantifiable, and, yes, it can save your life. And you can bet on it.