Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, DOGS NEVER LIE ABOUT LOVE THE UNDERDOGS is written with wit, with charm, and, above all, with genuine warmth. Greene understands the extraordinary and still mysterious bond between dogs and children. “At last a real writer turns to children, love, and dogs, surely the three most important topics in life. It will make you think and feel differently about the kindness, compassion, and love between us and our dogs.” - Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods, THE GENIUS OF DOGS

“Brimming with the sweet, soulful journeys of courageous children and the dogs who become more than their best friends.beautifully written, scientifically rigorous, and filled with heartbreak and joy. “The PRAYING FOR SHEETROCK author deftly relates the stirring stories of disabled children and the heroic dogs who serve them, illuminating the intricate inner lives of our canine friends.” - O, the Oprah Magazine She applies that skill to the world of service dogs in her new book THE UNDERDOGS.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Greene has a remarkable way of taking a complex topic, dissecting it down to its basic components and holding up layers to the light where it’s seen anew. A cast of remarkable characters-scientists and felons, dog trainers and parents, children with disabilities and the great dogs themselves-together address questions about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.

The frontiers of the human/dog bond are explored here with insight, compassion, humor, and joy. It turns out that dogs really are doing the astounding things they appear to do, and they’re doing them for people they love. Into these modern wonder tales, she weaves the latest scientific discoveries about the inner lives of dogs. Melissa Fay Greene tells the stories of isolated children, struggling parents, and the marvelous dogs who gallop into their lives. “How many people are stranded like I was,” she wondered, “who could lead productive lives with a service dog?”Ī thousand dogs later, Karen Shirk’s service dog academy, 4 Paws for Ability, is restoring broken children and their families to life. THE UNDERDOGS tells the story of Karen Shirk: felled at age 24 by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as an immobile, deeply isolated and depressed, ventilator-dependent patient, she was rejected by every service dog agency in the country as “too disabled.” Her nurse encouraged her to raise her own service dog, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life.

The underdogs by melissa fay greene