This is a heartwarming story from beginning to end....saving two beings, one human, one animal. Julie Barton writes about what she knows in depth....herself. Her relationship with Bunker is really a treasure and she had it exactly right.....she was waiting for him and he was waiting for her. ( )

This book reminded me how much your twenties can suck. But it gets better! Loved this memoir. Loved the mention of places in Seattle--like the Marymoor dog park. I have a lot of happy memories of taking my dog Fletcher there when he was young. This book made me miss Fletcher terribly. ( )

Wow, what a great read. Gave me some great insight into depression. ( )

"Too many siblings are getting hurt and hurting each other. Sibling violence is one of the last sanctioned forms of domestic abuse. Parents often say that kids just hit each other. While some aggression between siblings is inevitable, parents need to be equipped with ways to intervene and stop the fighting before it turns into serious physical, emotion, or verbal abuse. Physical fighting should never be allowed. No child should be permitted to regularly intimidate, torture, or hurt his or her sibling, because the effects of this kind of treatment will last a lifetime" Julie Barton (p. 228-229).

At 22-years-old the author of this book suffered a total collapse, suffering from severe depression. This is her journey which included coming to terms with physical and emotional abuse from her older brother, a father who worked long hours so was absent most of the time, and a mother who couldn't deal with the situation. She then went through therapy and medication, but what really helped to heal her was adopting a Golden Retriever puppy she named Bunker. Although the author will never be able to come off anti-depressants, she is now able to live a fulfilling life. A good story, little bit repetitive and the author does come from a privileged background, but her story serves to highlight sibling abuse and the horrible disease known as depression that plagues our communities. ( )

A touching memoir about a woman with severe depression and the dog that saved her from the darkness. From the book cover: "Dog medicine captures the anguish of depression, the slow path to recovery, the beauty of forgiveness, and the astonishing ways animals can help heal even the most broken hearts and minds." This book really got to me and I am not going to lie, I sobbed uncontrollably while reading. :) ( )