Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs

Dogs have always been our friends and changed our lives for the better. But they may save our lives as well. Seamlessly weaving scientific research with compelling narrative, Paws & Effect tells incredibly moving stories of beloved pets who have supported their people through periods of ill health and other crises—with miraculous results:

*Little Ben, a Chihuahua who can sense impending epileptic seizures

*Abdul, a Golden Retriever/Lab mix, who was the world’s first service dog and helped his owner by retrieving keys and phones, medicine from countertops, water from the refrigerator, and could even hand in credit cards at the grocery store

*A Dalmation named Trudii, whose obsessive behavior prompted her owner to seek a medical examination that revealed melanoma

Sharon Sakson earned an MFA in creative writing from the New School. She is a journalist and television producer who has worked for ABC, NBC, and local stations in Baltimore, Chicago, and San Francisco. Sharon is also an American Kennel Club dog-show judge. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.