Book by Dr. Bernie S. Siegel with Cynthia J. Hurn | Foreword by Allen M. Schoen, DVM | Review by Terri Schlichenmeyer
Last night, as you walked in your house, you slammed the door. The humans in your home, sensing a bad mood, ran away. But your dog met you coming in, eyes adoring, tail wagging, and it was hard to maintain the grumpies.
Your pets are not just pets – they’re members of the family. And as you’ll see in the new book “Love, Animals & Miracles” by Dr. Bernie S. Siegel (with Cynthia J. Hurn), they might also double as caregivers.
When you decide to take pets into your home, you do everything possible to make sure they’re happy and healthy. Perhaps not surprisingly, your furry family members are doing the same for you. “Having a loving relationship with an animal is one of the most powerful factors in healing and maintaining well-being,” said Dr. Siegel.
Just knowing that a pet is there deflects loneliness, which, Siegel writes, “affects the genes that control immune function, making you vulnerable to illness and other problems.” Petting an animal also releases oxytocin, a bonding hormone. Petting is also calming and may lessen the effects of depression.
When his children were young, Siegel encouraged them to raise, rescue and study all kinds of animals, not just domestic ones. While that led to a lot of humorous family stories, it also led to lifetimes of compassion because, “Allowing your children to grow up with animals is a gift that never stops teaching.”
In the stories found in this book, the love and care that animals offer comes through loud and clear. A cockatoo comforts
his owner with a “Kiss, kiss, kiss.” A homeopathic doctor gives “treatment” to a herd of cattle, thereby healing the farmer. Two beloved dogs offer comfort to cancer patients. A woman’s future is changed by a horse who needed her. An unwanted Newfoundland becomes a lifeguard, and sometimes takes matters into his own, um, paws. And you’ll read stories of animals helping creatures of other species, which is common because, after all, “The love between humans and their animals constitutes an interspecies relationship, too,” according to the book.
If you share your life with an animal, you already know who takes care of whom in your relationship. In “Love, Animals & Miracles” readers probably won’t mind the anthropomorphizing that a few chapters contain, but there’s a new-age tone throughout much of the book, so be warned.
Hippie vibes aside, what pet lover can resist a good animal story? Not you, which is why you need “Love, Animals & Miracles.” Start it, and be prepared to love your furry family member even more.
Terri Schlichenmeyer, also known as “The Bookworm,” is a professional book reviewer. Terri has been reading since she was three years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives in Wisconsin with her two dogs and 14,000 books.
For more book reviews visit greenlivingaz.com/bookreviews
