Sit, Stay, Heal - by Renee Alsarraf (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Written with grace and emotional honesty, Sit, Stay, Heal will live with you long after the last page."-- John Grogan, bestselling author of Marley & Me

For more than two decades, esteemed veterinary oncologist Dr. Renee Alsarraf treated cancer in her beloved canine patients. Then, at age fifty-one, she was diagnosed with cancer herself.

Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Living Well is Dr. Renee's unforgettable testament to the extraordinary healing nature of dogs. Every day in her veterinary practice, she bears witness to the undeniable bond between pets and their people. However, while we are busy teaching them to "sit" and "stay," they have their own, more profound, lessons to impart. In Sit, Stay, Heal, we meet Cosmo, the golden retriever who arrives at Renee's office just before his fourteenth family vacation to the beach; Daisy, the cocker spaniel, an emotional support dog for a special needs child; and Franny, the bloodhound, a police dog who wasn't ready to retire from the force. Then there's Dr. Renee's own dog Newtie, who falls ill when she needs him most.

Our dogs are wise in ways humans are not. For Dr. Renee, it was her patients--those furry, four-legged, slobbering animals--who seemed to uniquely understand her difficult journey and who showed her the true power of positivity and unconditional love. Full of life lessons and healing metaphors, perfect dogs and their imperfect humans, Sit, Stay, Heal is a captivating, heartwarming story for dog lovers far and wide.

Review Quotes

"In this wise, often moving narrative, Alsarraf offers useful insight into the meaning of health, wellness, and good living through uplifting stories of animal and human healing. A warmly candid book for dog lovers and anyone affected by cancer." -- Kirkus Reviews

"When the cancer doctor becomes a cancer patient, illumination is sure to follow. And so it is with Renee Alsarraf's heartfelt memoir Sit, Stay, Heal. A veterinary oncologist, Alsarraf finds in her canine patients the courage, optimism, and acceptance she needs to wage her own battle to survive. Written with grace and emotional honesty, Sit, Stay, Heal will live with you long after the last page." -- John Grogan, bestselling author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

"An emotional journey for both Dr. Alsarraf and her four-legged patients. If you love dogs, as I do, this book will make you love them even more."

-- Delia Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life

"'Each dog is different, ' Dr Renee Alsarraf tells her son in SIT, STAY, HEAL, her wise, big-hearted memoir, 'and each teaches us something different.' Lucky for us, Dr Alsarraf, a veterinary oncologist, shares what she learns from her furry, four-legged patients when she finds out that she too has cancer. Candid, graceful, and infused with warmth, SIT, STAY, HEAL is a moving portrait of an esteemed veterinarian and the unforgettable dogs who helped her heal." -- Jillian Medoff, author of When We Were Bright and Beautiful