The Possibility Dogs - by Susannah Charleson (Paperback)

About the Book

A uniquely personal, moving, and inspiring journey into the rapidly emerging world of psychiatric service dogs, as Susannah Charleson works as an evaluator in shelters, plucking unwanted dogs, big and small, training them for this unique kind of service, and matching them with people in need.

Book Synopsis

"Reading The Possibility Dogs is like taking an amazing literary journey with a dear friend by your side. The characters you meet will enchant you, but the storyteller will capture your heart. If you love dogs, this is a can't-miss book written by a kindred spirit." --Jennifer Arnold, author of Through a Dog's Eyes and In a Dog's Heart

After a grisly search-and-rescue operation led to troubling consequences for author Susannah Charleson, she found that her relationship with Puzzle, her search dog, made a surprising contribution to her own healing. Inspired by that experience, Charleson learned to identify abandoned dogs with service potential, plucking them from shelters and training them to work with disabled human partners, to whom the dogs bring assistance, comfort, and hope.

Similar to her best-selling first book, Scent of the Missing, Charleson's The Possibility Dogs goes beyond the science that explains working canines to tell the stories of the dogs themselves. Like Merlin, a black Lab puppy who had been thrown away in a garbage bag and now stabilizes his partner's panic attacks. And service dog Jake Piper, a formerly starving pit bull mix who went from abandoned to irreplaceable. This heartwarming combination of memoir and research is sure to both inform and inspire.

"What an amazing book. Combine love, knowledge, and real-life drama with pitch-perfect writing, and you'll end up with The Possibility Dogs. Simply brilliant!" --Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash

"Insightful and earthy, Charleson is never maudlin. She keeps it real . . . All the stories have tremendous heart and power and you believe Charleson when she writes: 'Any dog can surprise you, ' and 'great dogs can come in odd packages.'" --Boston Globe

From the Back Cover

Reading The Possibility Dogs is like taking an amazing literary journey with a dear friend by your side. The characters you meet will enchant you, but the storyteller will capture your heart. If you love dogs, this is a can t-miss book written by a kindred spirit. Jennifer Arnold, author of Through a Dog s Eyes and In a Dog s Heart
After a grisly search-and-rescue operation led to troubling consequences for author Susannah Charleson, she found that her relationship with Puzzle, her search dog, made a surprising contribution to her own healing. Inspired by that experience, Charleson learned to identify abandoned dogs with service potential, plucking them from shelters and training them to work with disabled human partners, to whom the dogs bring assistance, comfort, and hope.
Similar to her best-selling first book, Scent of the Missing, Charleson s The Possibility Dogs goes beyond the science that explains working canines to tell the stories of the dogs themselves. Like Merlin, a black Lab puppy who had been thrown away in a garbage bag and now stabilizes his partner s panic attacks. And service dog Jake Piper, a formerly starving pit bull mix who went from abandoned to irreplaceable. This heartwarming combination of memoir and research is sure to both inform and inspire.
What an amazing book. Combine love, knowledge, and real-life drama with pitch-perfect writing, and you ll end up with The Possibility Dogs. Simply brilliant! Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash
Insightful and earthy, Charleson is never maudlin. She keeps it real . . . All the stories have tremendous heart and power and you believe Charleson when she writes: Any dog can surprise you, and great dogs can come in odd packages. Boston Globe
[AU PHOTO] Susannah Charleson, author of the New York Times bestseller Scent of the Missing, is a flight instructor, service dog trainer, and canine search-and-rescue team member. She lives with Puzzle, a golden retriever certified for the recovery of missing persons; service dog Jake Piper, a German shepherd pit bull poodle mix; and a rabble of rescued Pomeranians and terriers.
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Review Quotes

"An inspiring and refreshingly optimistic reminder about the untapped possibilities that exist in the relationships between humans and dogs." -- Kirkus Reviews "You don't have to be an animal lover to be moved by this beautifully written and impassioned account of the author's work rescuing dogs from shelters and training them to be service animals...This is the rare book that can change minds about the reality of animals' emotional lives." -- Publishers Weekly, starred "Possibility Dogs" is a moving page-turner of a memoir from an accomplished trainer who shifts from the work of search and rescue to that of psychiatric service dogs. Her gritty, funny, insightful stories are of down-and-out dogs who end up performing miracles for people suffering from such things as post-traumatic stress disorder, acute panic attacks, or obsessive-compulsive disorder....Insightful and earthy, Charleson is never maudlin. She keeps it real....All the stories have tremendous heart and power and you believe Charleson when she writes: 'Any dog can surprise you, ' and 'great dogs can come in odd packages.' -- Boston Globe "For everyone who is interested in the human animal bond, this book is essential reading. Learn how service dogs can provide emotional support for people who are in great need." -- Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make us Human and Animals in Translation "An eloquent and heartwarming journey into the world of some very special dogs. Susannah Charleson is a great humanitarian who recounts her efforts to turn abandoned and　shelter-bound dogs into special service dogs for a host of less visible human disabilities. She succeeds as brilliantly as her re-purposed canines and in THE POSSIBILITY DOGS we cheer her every step of the way." -- Susan Richards, author of Chosen By a Horse "What an amazing book. Combine love, knowledge and real-life drama with pitch-perfect writing, and you'll end up with The Possibility Dogs. Simply brilliant!" -- Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash "Reading The Possibility Dogs is like taking an amazing literary journey with a dear friend by your side.　 The characters you meet will enchant you, but the storyteller will capture your heart. If you love dogs, this is a can't miss book written by a kindred spirit." -- Jennifer Arnold, author of Through a Dog's Eyes and In a Dog's Heart "Susannah Charleson is not a dog trainer who simply writes of dogs, but a true writer of lean, layered prose, who, like all fine writers, cannot help but tell us what lies closest to her heart and soul. The Possibility Dogs resonates with this- with desperate dogs and people close to the edge, close to being forgotten, who, through the efforts of Susannah and others, find each other, and in doing so, learn what is truly possible in life." -- Steve Duno, author of Last Dog on the Hill and Leader of the Pack

About the Author

SUSANNAH CHARLESON, author of the New York Times bestseller Scent of the Missing, is a flight instructor, service dog trainer, and canine search-and-rescue team member. She lives with many dogs.