The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of "Unadoptables" Taught Me About Service, Hope, and Healing

MY THOUGHTS<br />ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT<br /><br />Charleson has trained search and rescue dogs for years and when the stress of doing her job builds up that she begins experience panic attacks, she finds herself in need of some rescue. Her love of dogs and the fact that she notices how her search and rescue companions create calm in a horrible situations, leads her to discover their healing power. She embarks on training her own service dog to support her own invisible disability. To be honest, when I first saw the title of this book, I had misread it as The Possibility OF Dogs, but in some sense, this really is just as true a title since all dogs have a lot of possibility. I adored Charleson's first book, Scent of the Missing, and she does an amazing job with describing the work that goes into training a service dog and the fact that it doesn't matter whether the dog is young or old, pure-bred or mutt, almost any dog can be a helpful companion with a little work.<br /><br />My heart dropped when I read about the two missing dachshunds and she relates that a recent rise in neighborhood crime is also feeding the need for bait dogs in fighting. I had no idea that pets could be stolen for such a use. As Charleson finds her perfect match in Jake Piper - you have to check out his facebook page - you can see how this one small bundle of love conquers and becomes the partner she needs to help her cope. There are short stories as well about other dogs that are helpful to seniors, autistic children and those first responders so devastated by the work they do.<br /><br />She even mentions the frantic social media postings about rescue dogs that have reached the end of the line at shelters. One really caught my heart since it is in my hometown of Huntington Beach, CA, as she discusses Compassion fatigue. There are only so many rescue people to go around, not to mention the expense involved. I am glad Charleson was able to rescue the little dog from here but it makes me sad that there are not enough local people to help. This is such a wonderful read for any dog lover.<br /><br />

The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of "Unadoptables " Taught Me About Service, Hope, and Healing by Susannah Charleston is a keeper. I will always keep it on my bookshelf so I can go back again and again.<br /><br />The author saw the need for training dogs as psychiatric and therapy dogs. I have read about therapy dogs before but this is something broader and much better. She had PTSD and a critical incident experience herself. She had been a search and rescue worker before but now she discovered a need that was not being taken care of. She wanted to take animals from death row at the pounds and train them to help people with these problems. Unfortunately only one dog in thirty has the personality, intelligence and aptitude to become this type of dog. She relates how the dogs were picked out and how heartbreaking it was to leave the others at the pound. Also, she tested her own dogs to see if they could learn to be psychiatric or therapy dogs. There are photos of the dogs in the middle of the book. For each dog that was adopted from the pound the difference of before and after is so dramatic. She also details the training. Some times the dogs improve upon the training with their own ideas.<br /><br />All of the stories in this book are very moving and inspiring. But there is one that stands out. A white shepherd pit bull mix was adopted. He had been found in a rat infested shed behind an abandoned house. He was left by a family with no food or water. It is an amazing that he was still alive when he was found. All skinny and starved for food, he quickly adapted to her home and pets. He is on the cover. Jake did take to the training and gave back so many times in so many ways. You won't believe how perceptive and friendly this dog is.<br /><br />You will be quickly immersed into this book and be amazed at how these dogs add to people's lives in so many ways.<br /><br />I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs and people who are interested in training therapy dogs.<br /><br />Although I received this book from the Amazon Vine program, that in no way influenced my review.

I love a good story of redemption, and <i>The Possibility Dogs</i> serves up a great tale of how certain "unadoptable" dogs were trained to be of service to people with varying conditions. Susannah Charleson introduces us to Jake Piper, a pitbull-German shepherd-poodle mix discovered in deplorable conditions in the author's neighborhood. And while stories of other rescues and their partners intermix with Jake's main story, I was very entertained by how Charleson set up trials to determine service dog worthiness. Most of her Pomeranians for one reason or another aren't suitable, but abandoned Jake shows promise.<br /><br />What shines through in this story is a sense of belonging and purpose. Charleson's search-and-rescue partner Puzzle (featured in the previous book <i>Scent of the Missing</i>, which I hope to read) basically accepts Jake Piper as one of her own. Later on, when Puzzle is ill for a few days, Jake has concern both for Puzzle's welfare as well as Charleson's anxiety over the situation.<br /><br />So whether you're an dog lover or not, I recommend <i>The Possibility Dogs</i>. The story of the human-animal bond is really one of love, hope, and healing. In this crazy world, we could certainly use some of that.

I am so glad my book group chose this book to read this month as I might have never seen it. I had no idea you could have service dogs for people with mental disabilities. I have panic disorder, agoraphobia, and ocd. I am very interested in finding out more about these dogs and possibly finding one. It is amazing what these dogs were doing to help people when they started to have a panic attack or other attacks! Thank you to the author for writing this book and bringing this to my attention and I'm sure many others with similiar disabilities! Highly recommend this book to anyone with these types of problems, or just dog lovers in general.

This is nonfiction about dog adoption and service dogs. I liked the personal stories in this. They were sweet and had purpose as these dogs were saved from death through adoption and trained to be service animals. The author is definitely passionate about her job. She has accomplished much good by following this path and I loved how it all evolved. She also used humor that had me smiling maniacally. <br /><br />I listened to the audio and it dragged a bit. It was a bit of a "one tone". But again, the stories were sweet and heartfelt....so 3 stars.

I'm continually amazed at the things dogs can do, and how perceptive they are!<br />

This was an extremely interesting book for me. The book begins by talking about attitudes towards psychiatric service dogs and service dogs for those with "invisible" disabilities. Since I work in the field of civil rights, including those with disabilities, I see this in my work and I absolutely get the difficulties these individuals face on a daily basis.<br /><br />The author has developed her own foundation called Possibility Dogs, Inc., which I didn't realize until the end of the book. It is mentioned in the afterward and is not the focus of the book. What a great idea; this foundation helps to support those with service dogs in any way they can. The author tells her story in between stories about others who have the need of service dogs and the dogs themselves. I loved each and every story and there was never a time in this book when I was bored or felt my attention wander.<br /><br />I could particularly relate to the story of Ollie T., an elderly blind dog who was left in a shelter. I have a 17 yr old blind and partially deaf shih-Tzu and this hit such an emotional chord with me. She is doing well in every other way, but I see her struggle with her lack of sight in familiar surroundings. I cannot even imagine having her face life in a shelter or other unfamiliar environment as a blind senior. My heart definitely went out to Ollie and I am so happy that he ended up with Susannah.<br /><br />I listened to this on audio, and I am normally not a fan of author's reading their own books. There are exceptions, and I am happy to say that this is one of them. I enjoyed the narration, particularly as her empathy towards both the humans and the animals that she discusses came through loud and clear. I also have to say that one of the Goodreads groups that I belong to is reading this book this month, and the author has been participating in our discussions; this further humanizes the reading/listening experience. I definitely plan on reading her first book, Scent of the Missing, and hope to read future books by her!

If you don't want a dog or twelve after reading this book, I don't know what to say.<br />There is something almost magical about service dogs, and all that they can learn to do. Susannah Charleson writes about them with so much heart, and she explains the rigorous training they go through, even as she shows their "dogness."<br />I laughed, I cried, I cried a lot.<br />This book had me feeling some kind of way, - for the dogs, and for the people who struggle to do simple tasks that we all take for granted.<br />God bless you, Susannah, for the work you do, and the love you give to animals.<br />And to each and every dog in that book, you have my heart.

I like dogs as much, if not more, than the next guy which begs the question: Why was this book so.incredibly.boring? It's got me thinking that maybe my love for dogs comes from their simplicity. There is nothing complicated or particularly interesting about their love and loyalty. Their love is peaceful, comforting, encouraging, and so satisfying on an emotional level, but it's not intricate enough to fill a 260 page book and keep this reader entertained or engaged.

super book. i have a service dog and know how it can go sometimes since my disability is not seen. also my service dog is a yorkie so i am often questioned. for a long time i have been upset that it seems service dog trainers were missing a great opportunity by not getting dogs out of pounds, rescues, etc. this book not only explains the procedure it takes to actually do that, but gives me hope hearing that it is being done. what a wonderful read. loved reading how others have dealt with some of the same issues i deal with and hearing how they have overcome that and other problems with their service dog beside them. loved reading about Susannah's other rescues too. definitely would recommend this book