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A dog walks into a nursing home : lessons in the good life from an unlikely teacher / Sue Halpern.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2013Description: 312 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1594487200 (hardback)
  • 9781594487200 (hardback)
Subject(s): Summary: "A layabout mutt does a second act as a therapy dog working with the infirm and the aged, and fetches from that clarifying, life-and-death realm an inspiring sense of the core human virtues - love, fortitude, justice, charity, prudence, restraint, hope, and fun - and how to live them now.""-- Provided by publisher.Summary: "A layabout mutt turned therapy dog leads her owner to a new understanding of the good life. At loose ends with her daughter leaving home and her husband on the road, Sue Halpern decided to give herself and Pransky, her under-occupied Labradoodle, a new leash--er, lease--on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy dog team. Smart, spirited, and instinctively compassionate, Pransky turned out to be not only a terrific therapist but an unerring moral compass. In the unlikely sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn't expected. And little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern's sense of what virtue is and does--how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to. Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt--showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)--taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life."-- Provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 636.7083 H195 Available 33111007147933
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In late adolescence, Pransky was bored- she need a job. And so Sue Halpern decided to give herself and her underoccupied Labradoodle a new leash - er, lease - on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy-dog team. Pransky proved to be not only a terrific therapist, smart and instinctively compassionate, but an unerring moral compass as well. In the unlikely-sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn't expected. Little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern's sense of what goodness is and does - how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to.

Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one virtuous - that is to say, faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent - mutt showed great hope, fortitude, and restraint (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding) as she taught a well-meaning woman the essence and pleasures of the good life.

'Affectionate and deeply affecting, written with a light hand and a keen eye, this is a wonderful story of great things - namely, love, life, human kindness, and dogs.' Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and Rin Tin Tin- The Life and the Legend

'Halpern is a writer of immense talents and enormous heart. A joyous and moving account of how seemingly small gifts of kindness can make a profound difference. An not to the recipient alone.' Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize - winning author of People of the Book and Caleb's Crossing

'This is a gem of a book, a beautiful, wise, and bighearted story about companionship and the true nature of virtue.' Diane Ackerman, author of One Hundred Names for Love

'With uncommon wit and insight, Sue Halpern has written a book about a dog that is ultimately a book about humanity . . . A beautiful, honest, joyful accounting of what matters.' Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge

"A layabout mutt does a second act as a therapy dog working with the infirm and the aged, and fetches from that clarifying, life-and-death realm an inspiring sense of the core human virtues - love, fortitude, justice, charity, prudence, restraint, hope, and fun - and how to live them now.""-- Provided by publisher.

"A layabout mutt turned therapy dog leads her owner to a new understanding of the good life. At loose ends with her daughter leaving home and her husband on the road, Sue Halpern decided to give herself and Pransky, her under-occupied Labradoodle, a new leash--er, lease--on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy dog team. Smart, spirited, and instinctively compassionate, Pransky turned out to be not only a terrific therapist but an unerring moral compass. In the unlikely sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn't expected. And little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern's sense of what virtue is and does--how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to. Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt--showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)--taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life."-- Provided by publisher.

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