Doctor Dogs: How Our Best Friends Are Becoming Our Best Medicine

by Maria Goodavage

New York Times bestselling author Maria Goodavage takes us on a thrilling, delightful, globe-trotting journey to discover the heartwarming and fascinating new world of doctor dogs.

In this groundbreaking book, Goodavage brings us behind the scenes of cutting-edge science at top research centers, and into the lives of people whose well-being depends on their devoted, highly skilled personal MDs (medical dogs). With her signature wit and passion, Goodavage explores how doctor dogs are becoming our happy allies in the fight against dozens of physical and mental conditions.

We meet dogs who detect cancer and Parkinson's disease, and dogs who alert people to seizures and diabetic lows or highs and other life-threatening physical ailments. Goodavage reveals the revolutionary ways dogs are helping those with autism, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. And she introduces us to intrepid canines who are protecting us from antibiotic-resistant bugs, and to dogs who may one day help keep us safe from epidemic catastrophe. Their paycheck for their lifesaving work? Heartfelt praise and a tasty treat or favorite toy.

The emotional element in Doctor Dogs delivers as powerfully as the science. You don't have to be a dog lover to care deeply about what these dogs are doing and what we are learning from them--although if you're not a dog lover, you probably will be by the end of the book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Health, Medicine, Science, Audiobook

353 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doctor Dogs is such an informative and endearing read. It covers dogs helping with medical conditions, including everything from autism to diabetes. For a health/science/nonfiction read, it’s written in an easy, approachable style. Tons of research is present, but it’s never bogged down with it. There are human stories like Clay, who has diabetes, and is helped by his dog, Whitley. The author found several ways to give this nonfiction book a warmhearted feel, and I loved that.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

[Left Coast Justin]

Pitched to a different level of reader.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think if they showed pictures of these amazing dogs I would’ve cried more than what I already did.

[Mary S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a service dog handler, I found this book extremely helpful. My service dog has improved my life exponentially. It was awesome to see the organization that blessed me with my service dog, one of the organizations featured. It not only highlights how dogs can heal, it reminds me that they are still dogs!

[Virginia Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria's books have been a companion of mine for decades, namely her Dog Lover's Companion series of books written pre-internet/pre-mobile device. The one I used most often was my Companion to California book. Until we got devices, it was kept under the seat of my car, in a 'protective' reused plastic bag. It had my hand-written notes in it, was stuffed with brochures, flyers, maps. Every time I opened it, something fell out. It burned with my house in the 2003 Cedar Firestorm and like so many other things, I remember it from time to time. Even if you can look it all up now in five seconds, I would have kept it as a testimony to those years, my own little scrapbook. I always meant to send my updates to her. That book went with me with four wonderful (all rescue) dogs that have since died. So when browsing our library catalog, when I saw her name, of course, it was a book about dogs and of course, I was going to read it.

Besides that Maria wrote the book, since I am a professional biologist/ecologist, I told myself I should read it to see what the latest science is with assistance dogs but truth is, I also knew I would probably cry per a bad week with the pandemic, a COVID death in my family, the news, feeling isolated, out of sorts in my own life. I may be alive simply because of my dogs. In the course of only a couple years, I lost everything--a man I loved and wanted to marry (dropped dead of a heart attack at age 41), my house/neighborhood in the Cedar Fire, then my mom. It was too much and I started planning my permanent exit but there were my wonderful dogs staring back at me. Maria lives in California. Her inclusion of a CA fire victim's story made me put the book down for awhile to cry. To say her story resonated with me is putting it lightly. There is nothing wrong with a good cry.

Dog is God and God is Dog. You almost have to come to this conclusion after reading this book. I thought I knew something about service dogs but this book blew my mind and not just about the dogs, but learning about how many ruthless medical diseases there are 'out' there that cause people to collapse on the spot, or fall asleep, or have a seizure, or, as many of us know, lead to deep depression that can spiral into suicide, and the dogs are there for us, nearly every moment through.
Be forewarned, dogs do die in the book and the things many of these people go through from day to day also brought tears to my eyes. It's not just the dogs that are amazing.

There is “something for everyone” in this book:

Dogs and Diabetics
Seizure-Alert Dogs
Cancer-Alert Dogs
Multi-talented/Multi-purpose Medical Miracle Dogs
Dogs for Superbugs
(The book was written before COVID but anticipates a pending pandemic and sure enough, there are now COVID-detection dogs).
Dogs for Autism
Dogs for Mental Illness
Dogs for PTSD
Crisis and Disaster Response Dogs

I am also reading Steven Markoff's book The Case Against George Bush and there was a (for me anyway) infuriating dove-tailing in that this book includes Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans trapped in their own hell, who are saved by their service dogs. Here are some excerpts, and to the Bush Crime Syndicate, consider donating to the dog service groups Maria includes in her book. It's the least you can do (and I'll be dealing with the Bush Crime Syndicate when I post my review of Markoff's book).

Bush Crime family, here is part of your 'legacy', not that you care:

“First Sergeant John Champion served in the Army from 1985-2007...During his career he served several combat tours, including two to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. He received a Silver Star and a Bronze Star and a long list of other honors for his courage and valor (my side note, something every choreographer of the fabricated Iraq war lacked)...the last years of his service, it was clear to family that something was amiss. There were the outbursts of anger, the screams only he heard. Usually they were the screams of children...boys as young as ten or eleven would come at soldiers with submachine guns or throw IEDS in their path...John didn't want to kill them...but sometimes there was no choice. Like the time a boy held an Uzi to his friend's head. The ghosts of the dead children stayed with John...(After the war) he became a member of a nearby VFW and quickly rose to post commander...The next morning someone at the VFW found John there, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”

“Wil talked about his two deployments. His first was in 2005, when he was a fuel-supply specialist for aircraft. He worked on refueling an rearming helicopters in Cam Taj and Forward Operatoing Base Kalsu , both near Baghdad. They took some mortar rounds...one of the Apache crews he worked with got shot down. Both pilots were killed. That got to him...(Then he was deployed to) Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad...They list three guys (in a Humvee) and an IED exploded in the road. Wil was responsible for getting...to them but the soldiers had burned to death and there was nothing the team could do.”

After a painful and tumultuous time trying to adapt to being home again with his family, and a diagnosis of PTSD (which, I'm sorry, how could someone going through what he did NOT develop this?), Wil was partnered with an amazing dog named Harnett. At the time the book was written, this dog had made all the difference in Wil's and his family's life. “Having Harnett is the biggest thing every day. I can't even describe it.” Indeed. We can't describe what our animals do for us, how or why they console us, to the depth of our souls, our existence, and maybe this in where it enters the spiritual...Dog is God. God is Dog.

Regarding the research cited in the book, of course now there is research going on that will allow your dogs to "talk" through electronic devices. Instead of getting nosed by your dog to go for a walk, it activates a senor that comes out as electronic speech. "This is Milo. Listen, Missy. You have been sitting on your ass for two hours while we have been staring at you and no, not because we love you. We want our damn walk and we want it now." This makes me very uncomfortable, where this could go but I do see the utility for those that need this kind of thing. Still, it's a little disturbing.

A few minor points, the book reads somewhat simplistically, particularly in the beginning. After reading a few chapters, I checked to see if it was for adults or a child's/YA book. Keep reading, it gains better flow after a few chapters. Maria obviously loves, loves, loves dogs, knows her topic, is extremely knowledgeable. Her book reminds me of someone you meet at a party who can talk, literally, forever about their topic. Her reverence, amazement, and passion for dogs covers every page which results in her making the point over and over, how much these dogs help people. It gets a little redundant. “Yes! We get it Maria! Yes! We definitely get it! No worries!” But I would rather have this kind of energy and emotion in a book than cold-hearted facts that she DOES include in the form of citing and summarizing the research. Research or not, I was already sold on the idea of dogs serving medical/mental needs because as mentioned, I have had them my whole life and my dogs have gotten me through my own hellish times. I also see service dogs in my community. I see what they do for people first-hand.

As Maria mentions, after you read this book, you may get a tad paranoid when your dog licks your arm or stares at your forehead. Off you go to check to see if you have a melanoma mole on your forehead. I did check all week with a spot my little mini-spitz keeps licking on the inside of my wrist. Didn't see anything. I think I got jam on my wrist a few days ago and maybe despite washing it off, a shower...?But, hey, can there be a downside if your dog (or cat, she does briefly discuss cats) DOES detect something?

She bemoans her publisher and editor cut out portions of the book and it IS long but perhaps because she comes from the traditional publishing world, she didn't realize she could have self-published which is super easy now. I imagine self-publishing platforms like Kobo, Barnes and Noble, KDP-Amazon (ugh), Book Baby, Lulu, D2D (so many!) would fall over themselves to distribute Maria's books. Maria, after the editing and proofing is done, you just upload your books with global distribution! No gatekeepers required!

Sometimes when people mention/email me the title of a book, considering that I have probably read hundreds of thousands of books throughout my lifetime by now (especially considering I am only 35...okay, that was a lie), I can't remember if I have read the book. “I thhhhiiiinnkkk I read that one? I don't know. I can't remember.” Well, not this book. I will always remember this book and it may change my (and your) life. It changed mine.

[Savannah Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for the dog lover who loves to learn about all the wonderful things dogs can do, from a medical standpoint. While I learned a lot, some references, C-Diff, might be unknown for some (since I work in the medical field I was more versed in the subjects). It's very thick with medical statistics and lingo so it’s not a light read, but it's well written so it's easy to understand. I loved learning new information about what dogs can be helpful for in the medical field and of course I’m even more astonished by them now. We might be so lucky if dogs end up running the world!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is informative and enthusiastic. Much like a Mary Roach book: full of both professionalism and personality. Goodavage’s style is not so sarcastically wry or her topic as esoteric as Roach’s, but it’s definitely in that family of writing. If you are a fan of dogs, you will love this book. However, even if you only kinda like dogs, anyone interested in medical research or how science is applied to problem-solve a variety of real-life issues should enjoy this book.

[Robin Mandell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Well-written and well-researched.

[Pamela Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book that reads like fiction. Filled with all the ways dogs help us, and the stories are wonderful. Goodavage writes amazing nonfiction, and she loves dogs. It's comes through in her writing. I loved reading about the diabetic-alert dogs, the seizure alert dogs, the dogs who find cancer cells, the dogs who help kids with autism. Don't miss it. Read also, Rescue Dogs by Pete Paxton and Molly: The Dog Who Rescues Cats by Colin Butcher. The three books go together beautifully!!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fascinating book, don't get me wrong. Dogs are so smart and their noses are so sensitive that they can be trained to detect so many things.

The most useful parts of the book, for me, were the descriptions of the training and use of dogs who help people with disabilities. Dogs who wake up diabetics in the middle of the night because their blood sugar is off. Dogs who notify their owners that a seizure is imminent.

But there are so many dogs who are able to detect different kinds of cancers who won't be able to put their talent to actual use. Not yet, anyway. Right now no one goes in for a physical and gets sniffed up and down to see if they have cancer.

I ended up abandoning the book because the due date would come up, it would be automatically returned and I'd be put back on the Hold list to wait a couple of weeks for it to become available again. After the second time I removed myself from the list and figured I'd finish some time in the future. It's possible I missed some interesting updates, so take that into consideration when evaluating my review.

[Donna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogs are amazing! Some dogs can be trained to assist diabetics be alerting them when their when their numbers are becoming dangerously low, even before the monitors are able to register the lowering numbers.

Some dogs are able to recognize when a person is about to have an epileptic seizure. By predicting seizures in advance, steps can be taken to protect the person from injury.

Some dogs can detect diseases, such as cancer or leukemia. But not all dogs can be trained to do this specialized work. Some often appear to have an innate ability. Plus, dogs are not correct 100% of the time. But, dogs can assist, can make life better, and can provide love and companionship.

“Some dogs seem to be able to detect cancer across all four stages—not just when cancer is advanced.” But since dogs work on a reward system, they occasionally cheat.

Many dogs are fast learners, but they still require months of training. Also, a great deal of research goes into placing the dog with the right family. Often there is no cost, but not all training facilities are good, and there are always scammers just looking to make money.

A fascinating look at these talented dogs and the many ways they have advanced science.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about how dogs can help people! There were some “a little too explicit” descriptions about dogs identifying soldier’s remains that I am sure the author felt were necessary to show how other soldiers can get PTSD from the various experiences of war. I get what PTSD can do to a person’s life because I have it and I can see where a dog, to pull you back to “safety,” could be a blessing. My dogs aren’t trained as service dogs but they are very comforting.
Interesting, informative and shows the place and need for dogs to be trained to help people in many ways. Now people need to be trained to help dogs and other animals and to stop abusing them. I’m sure dogs get PTSD too.

[Jon Koebrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dogs are amazing and this book does a wonderful job explaining and describing many ways they are helping people in a medical or other similar support manner. The book provides great information and I learned much. I struggled with how to rate the book. Much of the content is more than 4 star worthy and the writing is well executed. It just dragged a little in places but I recommend the book wholeheartedly for dog lovers who enjoy science and nonfiction. 3.75 stars.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Dogs is a fascinating book. It deals with, as the name suggests, dogs that help with medical conditions. In it, we meet dogs who help detect everything from diabetic issues, seizures, cancer, and superbugs to autism., PTSD and mental illness. It is written in an easy. readable style, as Ms. Goodavage relates anecdotes about the dogs and the humans they help or work with. She does the same with the doctors and scientists who are working with the dogs to further their use in the medical field. Although there is no lack of research behind this book (with footnotes and sources to back it up), whether Ms. Goodavage is telling us about Clay, a young boy with diabetes, his mom Karen and his dog, a yellow Lab named Whitley, who has helped him by alerting to his diabetic swings, or little Matthew who suffers from autism, his mom Christine and his dog, Lloyd, who helps Matt cope in a confusing world, she does so with empathy for both the human and the dog. Her stories are filled with background information on the trials and the training, and yet are written in a manner that even a non science orientated person can easily understand.
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to, and would recommend it to anyone interested in dogs, medicine or any of the conditions that are discussed in the book.

[Laura Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogs are awesome.
Ms. Goodavage tells the stories of dogs who detect diabetes, cancer, seizures, and malaria, and dogs who help people who are fighting PTSD, autism, and depression.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always knew dogs were amazing. This book will tell you just how amazing they really are!

[Jolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Goodavage’s new book, Doctor Dogs, is full of amazing dogs that can do amazing things.  I had previously heard of dogs that could detect seizures, low blood sugar, and help with PTSD but I had no idea how they did it and the numerous other ways dogs are helping those with medical disabilities. Did you know dogs cant detect cancer by smelling a person's saliva??  This book goes into the research behind training these dogs to help others.  The author makes reading all the facts and research interesting by intertwining real life stories of dogs and their owners. Many of these stories start out so heartbreaking but end up with a happy tail (see what I did there?). This book has inspired me to look into getting a therapy dog for the school I work.  A therapy dog would benefit so many of the students I work with. After reading this fabulous book, I am excited for what the future holds in the medical field and the role dogs will play. Doctor Dogs comes out October 1st.

[Teresa Biggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already thought dogs were pretty amazing but I had NO IDEA how really really amazing they are. Yes, I knew about dogs helping with the blind, veterans w PTSD, autism and finding cancer cells but the depth the author goes into what the dogs are trained to do is great. This is very well researched and I was sad to at the end to read all the stories she cut out ... I was hoping she had a website and we could read them there. It makes me want to step up my game with my own dogs...... take them beyond sit and stay.

[Sarah- Pupsandprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Dutton for the advanced copy of Doctor Dogs [pub date Oct. 1]

Maria Goodavage’s book is so well researched. If you have a dog you know how much they can brighten your day and improve your mental health. But did you know they can also keep you physically healthy too? And even alert you when something is wrong.

I learned this from experience. In January of this year I had a terrible infection. I remember my dog Lucy laying by my side the whole time. She was even laying half on top of me. Long story short, the next day I went into septic shock. After being in the hospital for a week, I came home and hours later had a seizure. I remember coming out of it and seeing Lucy hovering over me. She was licking my lips (kinda gross, I know) and it cleared my airway. I think that’s pretty amazing.

I’ve heard of dogs doing things like this to protect their humans, but I never really believed it, I thought it was fake science. But it’s totally a real thing. Maria Goodavage goes so in depth with this and it’s the most solid research I have seen on the topic.

I definitely recommend you give it a read. If your a dog person I’m sure you’ll love it. Even if you don’t have a dog or any medical complications, there is still so much to learn from this book.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me too long to get through this book, but was interesting from a medical and animal perspective. I knew dogs served to help those with seizures and PTSD, but nothing about some of the others areas highlighted.

My favorite quote is from a poem included in the book: “My little dog—a heartbeat at my feet.” Edith Wharton

Contents:
PART I: Staying Alive
1. Stop the Roller Coast, I want to Get Off - Dogs and Diabetes
2. It's About to Hit the Fan - Seizure-Alert Dogs and the People They Love
3. A Doctor Dog in This Fight - How Canines May One Day Help You Survive Cancer
4. Dog, MD - Multitalented, Multipurpose Medical Dogs

PART II: Rare Breeds
5. Fainting in Front of the Queen - And Other Problems Tackled by Doctor Dog Specialists
6. Hidden Enemies - Super Dogs for Superbugs

PART III: Out of the Darkness
7. The Dog Whisperers - From Freud's Dog to the Trombones and Hills on the Autism Spectrum
8. A Heartbeat at My Feet - The Differences Dogs Make in Mental Illness
9. After the War - Dogs on the Front Lines of PTSD
10: Stand By Me - Dogs in Times of Crisis and Disaster

EPILOGUE: Beside Manner Redefined

[AlohaMyPikachu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. Although I suppose one could say I'm bias since I'm not only an animal lover, but a dog owner as well.

I appreciate the author's details when telling of the numerous accounts of how dogs have helped children and adults alike. And how dogs could possibly help in the future. It's fascinating to know that someday we could potentially put our life in the paws of a dog.

While there were lots of stories and studies described, I find the one I'm thinking of as I write my review is about the woman that could detect someone with Parkinson's disease. I had a loved one that eventually died of this disease, and if dogs can be trained to detect Parkinson's before a person even knows they have it, that would be incredible.

[Rachel Buttimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just further proof that dogs are incredible. Fascinating to read about the research going into using dogs to help us alert to hyper/hypoglycemia, seizures, cancer, microbes and to help those with autism, learning disabilities, mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, psychotic episodes, PTSD). Extra thankful for my two furballs.

[Cara Achterberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Goodavage does it again - great writing, great story telling, and OMG the amount of research!! A fascinating read that made me look at my own dogs very differently.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable and informative look at the expanding roles dogs are playing in human health care around the world.

It starts with dogs who are learning to sniff cancer in humans. This is something that started with people's own pets alerting to Something Very Wrong in some part of their owner's body, with the "something wrong" proving to be cancer. It took a while before anecdotal accounts of such incidents began to get the attention of doctors and medical researchers willing and able to follow up on it. This led to to testing dogs on samples that either did, or did not, contain samples of cancer.

This hasn't, and isn't likely to, lead to dogs in doctors' offices sniffing you to determine whether you have cancer. This could be stressful for both the patients and the dogs. What researchers working towards is the identification of exactly what dogs are smelling whtn they detect cancer, and whether they can develop a device to detect those chemicals.

That's only one example of how dogs help us. Goodavage takes us on a globe-hopping tour of how dogs can help us in a wide variety of ways. She meets dogs who help people who have seizures. Currently dogs can't be trained to alert to seizures, but they can be trained to respond to them in ways that keep them safe and help them recover faster. However, many seizure response dogs, after spending enough time with their person, do start alerting to seizures, giving them more time to get to a safe position and be calm and settled before the seizure starts. We don't know what the dogs are detecting,, yet, that signals the coming seizure, but we may eventually figure it out, and be able to train seizure alert dogs.

Guide dogs and mobility assistance dogs are of course the most familiar. Many of us have sseen them, out with their people, essential to the rather critical task of simply getting around safely, There are many other service dogs, newer and less familiar. Diabetes alert dogs can be life-saving, especially for those with Type 1 diabetes, which typically doesn't respond to diet control as Type 1 diabetes often does. Dogs trained to alert to high blood sugar or to dangerously low blood sugar, and can be life-saving additions to their people's lives.

Dogs can often make a lifechanging difference in the lives of autistic people, especially when the autistic person is a child with serious communication difficulties or frequent meltdowns due to sensory issues. Not entirely unrelated, dogs can also be very helpful, even vital, for people with PTSD, serious depression, panic attacks, and other mental health issue that impair the ability to live a normal life.(Full disclosure: For the last nine years, I had a service dog who made it possible for me to leave the house and be functional rather than having panic attacks. She died recently, but I'm currently in the process of getting a successor for her.)

Therapy dogs trained to provide comfort and emotional relief to people who have gone through a major crisis, sometimes losing everything they had in a natural disaster, are dogs helping in a more familiar way. Goodavage talks about both the "professional" comfort dots, and the comfort, support, and reason to keep living that our beloved "just pets" can give us.

That's just a quick and not very deep overview of dogs and the help they can give us that Goodavage covers in more depth and greater detail and understanding in this book. The stories included introduce us to wonderful dogs, excellent people, and very moving accounts of how we and dogs can work together to make our lives both happier and healthier.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

~Disclaimer: I received a free hardback copy of this book.~

This book is broken into three parts: “In the first section, you’ll meet dogs who are detecting cancer and Parkinson’s disease, and dogs who alert their people to seizures, diabetic lows or highs, and other life-threatening physical ailments. The second section features doctor dogs who are stepping into new fields such as sleep disorders, and even protecting us from antibiotic-resistant bugs and potential epidemic catastrophe. In the third part, we’ll look at the dogs helping people who are struggling with debilitating mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder in its many guises.” (p.12). If all that sounds interesting, do read on. Maria Goodavage, our journalist author, provides anecdotal stories, studies and conjecture about the future possibilities of these dogs.

For the fans of dog pictures, do not fret, for the book includes several pages of color images of the dogs talked about in the book! It was nice to put a face to the dogs in the stories.

I found that there were times when the journalist comes to the forefront. If you are looking for a "just the facts" type of book, this is not it. Maria delves into the people's lives and brings out their stories. It might be a tangent, but it humanizes the people involved and I think it is to be expected from a journalist author.

It is fascinating to read about what dogs are capable of, but it is also good to hear about dogs' limitations. For example, diabetic trained dogs can find environmental factors limiting (too hot or too smoky), their skills can get rusty without reinforcement of their training, and occasionally dogs cheat in the hope of getting more treats (p. 45). In the chapter about seizures, the author acknowledges the varying studies and their findings (some favorable and others not) (p. 64-65) and the fact that researchers don’t know what the dogs are sensing when they alert their owners to seizures at this time (p. 82). Hopefully, more research will be done. As Maria states, “Good science takes time. Proof-of-principle studies are going on around the world. Ideally, science learns from its mistakes.” (p. 98).

The things dogs might be able to do in time is fascinating. From being able to help researchers find the biomarker for Parkinsons to help with early detection (p. 165-166) to finding viruses/harmful bacteria to prevent infection to the population at large (p. 188). And the things that dogs are capable of doing is amazing. I mostly wanted to pick up this book because of the section of mental health. Dogs helping with PTSD, Autism, Schizophrenia and more is one of the things that dogs do that makes them amazing to me. Anecdotal evidence is all good for those who need help and are desperate, but actual data is necessary if you hope for places like the VA to help pay for the work and the results are promising (p. 251).

If the above interests you, then give this book a shot. I enjoyed it and handed it off to my mother to read once I finished it.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-
I have read at least 4 of Maria Goodavage's books on dogs, and this is one of her best. We have all heard of the impressive services dogs have done for humans in the medical field from detecting seizures, diabetes, and cancer to providing comfort as therapy aids. In organized sections, this book logically and clearly discusses examples of these tasks and more. But what gives her credibility with me is her honest discussion of the scientific studies which also show the limitations of canine workers. Dogs can sometimes perform miracles...but not dependably.

Far too many people believe that most dogs can be trained to do whatever we want or need of them. Why breed Military Working dogs when there are thousands of animals languishing in shelters across the country? So what is the dog doesn't want to sniff out explosives all day in an airport or war zone? Just train them right, and they will do it. Goodavage makes it clear that we don't understand why or how a dog can sense that a PTSD veteran is about to lose control, and so it isn't a trivial thing to find and match a dog to a specific person in need or to train the animal to focus its energy on the required task, whether that is detecting drugs or any of the myriad other things they sometimes do.

This author recognizes dogs as individuals, as sentient beings. They are not mindless cogs to be placed into whatever task we humans have in mind. Some dogs are simply companion animals, couch potatoes, while others must "have a job" in order to maintain their sanity. Even dogs of the same breed vary greatly. They are not machines, robots that will do our bidding. It is their complexity that she admires, as do I.

The author finds that delicate balance between the wonder of what some dogs are able to accomplish and the disappointment we feel have when they fail to live up to our very high expectations. I value the honesty I found in this book. Goodavage respects dogs for what they are, not for what we want each of them to be. I thought it was well done, very well done.

[Erin Moxam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book that explores the role of dogs in different settings in healthcare and as helpers for people. It also looks at things that are in the works with dogs and medicine, which is extremely interesting. Maybe you're next cancer screening will just be a thorough sniffing by a golden retriever - how great would that be?
This book is pretty well written and it's nice to see that there are people in the world who take this very seriously and strive and work hard to use the unique relationship that humanity has with dogs and use it for good. I was very intrigued by the last chapter, which was about improving the way that we can communicate with dogs which basically comes down to dogs being able to push buttons that say things in plain English. I get a little annoyed that we make every species work on our level and never seem willing to work on theirs, however, there is no denying that in a medical setting, the clearer a dog could communicate, the better it could be for everyone. A fascinating idea. If you love dogs or animals, this is a very interesting book.

[Karla Martinsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating; getting updated on all that dogs are doing and are capable of doing, to give humans a better life. Kudos for all the medicals out there willing to listen and try different methods. All the groups that train dogs and handlers in so many important ways are to be commended for the hours they give. Many of the actual dogs and their human that are written about here bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart that it IS happening and WILL happen more.

Recently I was visiting an aerospace museum and there was a group of Medical Alert dogs visiting/training and I just followed them around with complete awe for the work they were leaning. Then as I got to that portion of this book and whole story is told how it happens I was awed again.

Thank you Maria Goodavage to keeping us updated in this challenging field of Doctor Dogs! It is written in lay-mans lingo so the science of it all is understandable. Yes, I am/have been/will be a believer that dogs are great animals and I love how they are proving that!!

[Donnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are dog books and there are Dog Books.

As a trained handler for my son’s two service dogs, I was immediately drawn into Maria’s latest book and didn’t want to leave! The combination of her impressive research, the stand-alone chapters by topic and humorous anecdotes, all kept me seamlessly gliding through the book. Even the science, which would normally send me reeling, was understandable and insightful. I’ve witnessed many medical-alert dogs being trained and appreciate the difficulties that can challenge the most intelligent dogs. With heart, Maria weaves together the personalities of the humans and personalities of the dogs. And she’s honest. Sometimes, that’s the hardest part of a book about dogs. I’ve read everything about dogs that she’s written and found Doctor Dogs to become my latest favorite.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I love how Maria Goodavage informs us of how dogs are being used to assist humans in medical situations. Each chapter explores a different area of crisis (seizure alert dogs, PTSD dogs for veterans, diabetic alert dogs, etc.) The book was released in 2019, so some of the info is a little old, but still amazing. I loved that at the end of the book, she talks about a talking vest that was being developed. It sounded so cool, sadly, 2019 was 6 years ago, and this vest is still not a reality, or at least I have not heard of it. Maria also talks a little about our pet dogs and how they help without even being trained. I can say that I had a sheltie that could tell before I even knew that I was going to have a major migraine. So I know that some dogs can be so in tune with their owners.