Remember Me? is an award-winning guidebook for owners of dogs who are losing their mental faculties as they age, and the story of a dog and owner who retained their bond through this most difficult situation.
If you have an aging dog, Remember Me? will give you the information you need to weather the difficult condition and give your dog the most fulfilling life possible. In Remember Me?, you will learn:
- About the symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction, medications and other interventions that are showing promise in treating the condition;
- How to adapt your home and habits to keep your dog safe;
- The many products available to solve the problems of senior dogs;
- How to make things easier on yourself, physically and emotionally; and
- The complex question of euthanasia and how to make your own decision about it.
The story of author Eileen Anderson's small terrier Cricket, who developed dementia, is threaded through the book. As Cricket's dementia worsened she paced, she circled, she stood in corners, she forgot what she was doing, and at times she lost and found her owner repeatedly. For the last weeks of her life she even forgot how to drink water. As Cricket's condition deteriorated and needs changed, Anderson learned about the disease and developed methods to care for her dog.
She shares these methods in Remember Me? and her calm, conversational tone is soothing to dog owners who are suffering--sometimes more than their dogs.
Remember Me? won the 2016 Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America for a book on health, behavior, or general care.
Eileen Anderson writes about learning theory, her life with three dogs, and training with positive reinforcement on her popular blog, Eileen and Dogs, and for other publications. She brings to bear on these subjects a science background, critical thinking skills, and teaching experience.
Eileen has worked professionally as a writer and academic editor, a network administrator, a remedial college math instructor, and a trainer of computer skills in academic and workplace settings. She has a long-standing interest in making technology accessible to women, people with limited literacy skills, and other underserved populations. She is now channeling that same urge to translate and illuminate in service of the humane treatment of dogs and joyful companionship between dogs and people. Her goal is to make training accessible and learning theory comprehensible to pet owners.
She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music performance and a master's degree in engineering science. She received a Certificate of Excellence for completion of Susan Friedman's applied behavior analysis course for animal professionals, Living and Learning with Animals, in 2012. She lives in the mid-Southern U.S. and works at a nonprofit agency that helps impoverished women access medical care.
