The Healing Power of Pets
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Pets to the rescueREVIEW BY MEG CICCIARELLAIn The Healing Power of Pets, Good Morning America's pet vet Marty Becker has created a book that is part love story and part health guide. Becker presents heartwarming and sometimes gut-wrenching true stories of pets and the contributions they make to their owners' lives. A word of caution: animal lovers should have the hankies ready. Documenting the way animals can and do save lives by motivating their owners to exercise and by alerting them to the onset of seizures, heart attacks and manic episodes, the book goes far in proving that pets offer crucial health benefits to their owners. The author describes his connection to animals from the perspective of his own illness and recovery, while examining his pets' positive impact on the process. Going beyond what is well-known about an animal's ability to lower blood pressure, Becker delves into the area of pediatric emotional and social development, showing how disturbed, disabled and ill children can recover with the help of man's best friend. Dogs, however, are not the exclusive holders of the title: therapeutic horseback riding has been shown to have remarkable results for people with a variety of illnesses, Even reptiles and amphibians can help. Once Becker has convinced us we need a pet, he helps us pick one. In a "consumer report" for the prospective pet owner, he uses checklists that explore every aspect of the selection process. Under the category of "pets are people, too," Becker offers humans the chance to enrich our pets' lives through a better understanding of what determines an animal's health and happiness. A final chapter listing a variety of resources makes this an indispensable volume for current or future animal owners. Meg Cicciarella writes about animals from her home in Estes Park, Colorado.
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