I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just dog lovers. I thought this would be a book about therapy dogs with cute stories about how they interact with patients. And it is...but it is so much more. The author takes us on a philosophical journey throught the lives of the people in this home, their current form of live, not how they lived before they ended up in a nursing home. She states repeatedly that all nursing homes are not like this one. This is a community nursing home in a small town with lots of support. Lots of volunteers, lots of activities and lots of caring staff. She repeatedly states it is nothing like the horror stories you often hear. However, it is not easy. The residents, while they are not well, are still very much alive. Sometimes all it takes is someone, even someone with a wagging tail and bushy eyebrows, to bring out their personalities. Each chapter in the book covers a virture: Restraint, Faith, Hope, Charity/Love, Fortitude and Prudence. She quotes theologians like Augustine and Aquinas and ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. This is a very inspirational book, one that bears reading again. I would like to quote a few of the last lines, "I didn't expect to start thinking about virtue by following my dog into a nursing home--who would? But it was hard to butt up against mortality and not be reminded, week after week, that though you were rich in life, you had a good chance of squandering your inheritance, so maybe you'd better start thinking about how not to do that." Just be sure to have your tissues handy!
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