I received this heartwarming book in a Goodread’s Giveaway and am happy to be able to give this book a five-star rating. Anyone who has had a dog in his or her life will appreciate this book and will agree that dogs can definitely be “healers” when loved and understood by their owners. I have a two-year old puppy, a labradoodle, who is, at this very moment, lying on the bed in the spare room where I have my computer. And as goofy as he can be at any given moment, he has been a source of companionship along with an ability to keep my aFib at bay. I laugh more and keep my stress levels down.

My husband and I belong to a photography group that introduced us to a Wolf sanctuary several years ago, and each year we go back to the same group to take pictures and go inside their cages to play with them and touch them. One of the first wolves to come to the sanctuary, was known as a healing animal. She would be able to detect abnormalities in certain people she met. She would pester them and touch certain areas until the caregiver at the facility would come up and tell the person receiving all the attention might want to go see a physician. Sadly, this particular wolf passed away before we discovered this sanctuary. Several of the still remaining wolves and wolfdogs have exhibited some of her capabilities to detect problems with her visitors; but not to the extent that Cheyenne had. If wolves can become friends with people, then surely dogs can. A bond between a dog and his “people” is a special thing and this book proves it. I knew that dogs liked to be massaged but I didn’t have any idea that Tibetan massage and spirituality could play a big part in bonding with dogs that had been abused or just disposed to a certain kind of temperament.

I also enjoyed the backstory of Carlos and Isabella. The book was not just a dog story but a story of love and compassion for each other. It was one of encouraging all dog owners to really treat their dog as they would a family member. Mark Winik did a wonderful job with his writing this book.