The Underdogs: Children, Dogs, and the Power of Unconditional Love

This book is beautifully written and full of excellent information about dogs in general and service dogs in particular. The amount of research that Greene did for this project is amazing and really helps you understand dogs and their deep bond with humans.The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was from a very neurotypical perspective and treated autism as a disease (there was even an oblique reference to autism as an "epidemic"), counter to what members of the autistic community advocate. Greene focused heavily on the parents of the autistic and health-compromised children, on how difficult it was for these parents and how their children's autism had ruined their lives. While the pain experienced by these parents is valid, I think it was overemphasized, especially because there was little attempt made to represent the perspectives of the children themselves; the children were never directly quoted speaking about their own experiences. I think that's a sad oversight and, unfortunately, all too common. This book had the potential to broaden the public's understanding of neurodiversity and help people see autistic individuals as people, not pathologies, but that potential was not realized. This book is much more about how the service dogs help the parents of autistic and health-compromised children than it is about the children's own experiences.Overall, this is definitely a book worth reading, especially if you're considering getting a service dog for yourself or a loved one. However, readers should be critical of the neurotypical perspective and recognize that the emphasis on the parents' frustration, and lack of interviews with autistic people themselves, is a disservice to autistic people.

If you love dogs this is a must read, I read it in one sitting, loved it!Karen Shirk was 24 when she developed a neuromuscular disease that left her dependent on a ventilator and a wheelchair. Her nurse recommended a service dog to assist her and they then discovered that no agency was prepared to "waste" a dog on someone who depended on a ventilator.Her nurse then suggested that Karen adopt a dog and train it herself, Ben, her German Shepherd got her out of bed and back to life.Karen discovered that there were thousands of people being turned away and that not one agency trained service dogs for children. She decided that she would train 4 or 5 a year herself, not realising the impact and demand of her dogs.4 Paws for Ability was born and 1000 dogs later the benefits have been astounding. The story also follows kids who have received one of Karen's dogs, from a children with severe autism or reactive attachment disorder to a child suffering from Fetal Alcohol syndrome - a first again in the service dog industry.The author also delves into the origin of dogs, the DNA that shows up in certain breeds and all the theories surrounding dogs behaviour and abilities. Highly recommended.

I had the pleasure of having Dr. Greene as my Journalism professor. She is awesome! The book is so good. Fantastic read and I bet it is even better in book form. I will be reading it again. Her prose is so lovely. She writes with empathy and her style is unique in that it opens you up to feeling the subject's frustrations over getting a service and having the new addition in the family. The hope is palpable. Well Done!

Nor does the title convey the important work and contributions of this organization which trains dogs as service animals for severely handicapped children. Children greatly loved despite their challenges. Children who exhaust me just reading about their needs and behaviors. Parents who amaze me with how far they go to give their children --and themselves -- some semblance of a normal existence. And the amazing dogs who bring that indefinable and desperately needed something that brings relief, whether it is love, acceptance, even a good night's sleep. This book is educational and heart-warming and emotionally challenging, and evokes wide-ranging emotions as one is forced to examine what he or she might done under similar circumstances. From Karen's determined caregiver who forced Karen back into the world from which she had withdrawn after contracting a debilitating disease, to the marvelous German Shepherd Ben, whom she trained when no agency would match her with a service dog, and from that inauspicious beginning, to grow a business that would touch so many lives (dogs and humans), I remained riveted and awed and humbled throughout the entire book.

I am not a nonfiction reader. As a lifetime lover of fantasy and science fiction, I really ordered this book mostly to support 4 Paws for Ability. This book may have converted me. I was immediately sucked in. Greene weaves the history of dogs, modern scientific studies, and stories from 4 Paws together seamlessly. As a parent waiting for our daughter's service dog (class of August 2017!), the stories of children that could not be reached by anyone until they met their furry best friend. I cried more than I would like to admit. Sometimes with joy, sometimes with sorrow, sometimes simply because Greene describes the isolation of a special needs parent so well that its like she is talking about me. If you know anyone who has a child with special needs, I urge you to buy them this book. Hope is hard to find sometimes, but it is so important. Thank you, Melissa Fay Greene, for writing this book. Thank you, 4 Paws for Ability, for doing what you do.