Rescuing Finley by Dan Walsh will make
a dog lover out of me yet!
As always, we find compelling
characters and story lines that keep you turning the pages with Dan's books but
this one really pulled me in. My complete surprise came when one chapter used
the point of view of the dog, Finley. I have a whole new empathy for being a dog
after reading that chapter. I was utterly charmed with the idea of getting into
a dog's head and found tips on dog training along the way, too.
Dan's wife Cindi's fingerprints were all over this book, I'd imagine, since she is an Animal Behavior Manager at our local Humane Society. Cindi Walsh has trained hundreds of dogs, both privately and in group classes. Dan admits that Cindi has been his primary consultant throughout this book concerning issues relating to PTSD service dogs. I've met Cindi and have often called her the Dog Whisperer as she is so knowledgeable about their emotions.
Dan's wife Cindi's fingerprints were all over this book, I'd imagine, since she is an Animal Behavior Manager at our local Humane Society. Cindi Walsh has trained hundreds of dogs, both privately and in group classes. Dan admits that Cindi has been his primary consultant throughout this book concerning issues relating to PTSD service dogs. I've met Cindi and have often called her the Dog Whisperer as she is so knowledgeable about their emotions.
One thing I especially liked at the end
of the book was Dan sharing how the vision for the book series came about.
"The idea for this Rescuing
Finley came from spending time listening to Cindi’s stories and volunteering
some of my time at Halifax Humane Society, our local non-profit shelter serving
the Daytona Beach area. They support a local prison program that trains dogs,
many who are adopted by veterans struggling with PTSD." (Dan
Walsh)
Dan always does endless
research before writing his books and each book ends up being a learning
experience about either a location or subject.
As
the story drew to a close there were some chapters that left me weeping and yet
I knew that there would be a good conclusion. I really, really enjoyed reading
this book and can't wait for the next one to come out.
Well said Donna. It is beautifully written. It was hard to put down. I love dogs and it was fun to look through Finley's eyes. I learned a lot about how a dog can help someone with PTSD and the training that goes into helping a dog be able to help a person. Each of the styles of books Dan writes keeps me wanting to read more.
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