The Healing Power of Pets: Harnessing the Amazing Ability of Pets to Make and Keep People Happy and Healthy

by Becker, Marty, with Danelle Morton

Download PDF

Return to Master Book Reviews Table of Contents

New York: Hyperion 2002,  270 pp.  US$23, CAD $33

Marty Becker is a veterinarian and writer who coauthored Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul.  He is veterinary contributor to ABC TV's Good Morning America and is the chief veterinary correspondent for Amazon.com. He has a weekly newspaper column, The Bond, and is a contributing editor for Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy, popular pet magazines.  He lives on a farm and has horses, dogs and cats. 

The Healing Power of Pets is a feel-good book about the author's family and others who have been saved from possible death or have been healed by their pets.  A prolapsed disc in Becker's neck changed his own lifestyle. His three dogs, LLLucky, Sirloin and Scooter, became his healing companions during his recovery.  While he had appreciated the animals prior to this time, he became aware of a deeper bond forming with his dogs as they brought him back to health.  The author began to appreciate each moment and each day when he observed their playful behavior.  He says,

That was what they could bring more of to me: the moment of joy, the point of connection, a call to take a long look at the beauty of life around me...every step I took toward improving their lives, I slowly began to realize, was a step toward better health and happiness for me. (p. 8)

The reader is also introduced to the author's brother, Bob, and his parents and the special healing bonds they had with their dogs.  The personal stories of his family and others give this book vitality and energy.  We read about Mike and his dog Dakota who sniffed upcoming heart attacks and saved Mike from near death on more than one occasion.  After pawing at Nancy's breast for days, Mia finally jumped at the breast, since Nancy had ignored the dog's initial actions.  Nancy credits Mia with saving her life because Nancy felt a lump in that breast and underwent subsequent surgery and treatment for breast cancer. 

While Becker recognizes the benefits of cats and other animals as family pets, he advocates dogs for a variety of reasons.  For instance, dogs are social creatures and require attention and exercise.  Thus, they give the owner the opportunity to exercise on a daily basis. 

Whether Becker is describing the physical, mental or spiritual healing power of a pet, he includes scientific research to back up his claims.  For example, when he writes about the benefits of childhood pets, the author includes a reference to a study of preschool children conducted by Robert Poresky, who developed a measurement tool called the Companion Animal Bonding Scale.  A substantial bibliography of scientific studies further strengthens Becker's anecdotal stories of the healing power of pets.  Such stories include those about animals giving value and importance to seniors either living independently or in nursing homes, and about a pet program for inner city children in New York City.  The author notes that pets provide physical touch for many people who live alone; give owners a purpose in their day and provide interaction with others who may stop to admire the animal.  Becker includes a variety of lifestyles in his argument for pets including the busy professional person, for whom pets provide the opportunity to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the moment. 

Becker describes the perfect human/pet relationship as the "ultimate bond." (p. 240).  He believes that through our pets "we have a practical, trusted, routine way to relate to nature, to break out of the shackles of mankind and its creations.  This relationship...the Bond...is simple...healing power." (p. 254)  To strengthen this bond and ensure readers get the right pet for them, the author provides detailed questionnaires about lifestyle and instructions for the care of pets. 

The Healing Power of Pets gives readers the impetus to examine their own lives and the healing contribution which only a pet could provide. 

Book review by Lynn Willis, PhD Candidate
HOLOS University Graduate Seminary
www.HolosUniversity.org

Return to Master Book Reviews Table of Contents