Good Dog by Kate Leaver
Good Dog by Kate Leaver, a book exploring
“the most extraordinary cross-species friendship on the planet.” Published by Harper Collins April 20, 2020.
Why we love it:
WalkThe_ is a platform to learn more about the relationships our creative community has with their dogs. During the COVID response we lent heavily on our pets for support. Good Dog was released during lockdown (and postal service disruption meant my copy only arrived a couple of days ago). But it is compelling and beautifully written so each time I dip into it I don’t want to stop reading.
Good Dog explores the human-canine bond. Drawing on science, research and in-depth personal interviews, Good Dog demonstrates how vastly a dog can improve our mental and physical health as well as our quality of life. Author Kate Leaver told the Sydney Morning Herald, “I live with bipolar disorder and still quite regularly plod through depressive episodes, despite being pleasantly medicated. I don’t sleep very much, and so I live some days of my life as a spectre of myself, tired and fragile in a way only another insomniac would recognise. When I’m distressed, Bertie can tell. If I ever go back to bed during the day, which I only really do when I’m desperate for respite from the waking world, or sad in a way I can’t handle while upright, he leaps across our mattress and lays across my chest. Often, on my neck. He does not do this at any time when I am happy; it’s truly only when I’m upset. It feels like he’s trying to protect me, or soothe me.”
He is almost omnipresent in my life; we don’t like to be apart. He is my editorial assistant, my best mate and my emotional-support beast. I get separation anxiety when I have to leave him, so he’s usually by my side.
This really resonated with me, as I suffer from Anxiety and my dogs behave differently around me when my cortisol levels are up. They know when I am distressed and they actively try to calm me. Good Dog explains some of the physiological benefits to our closeness to dogs in times of anguish:
Stroking or making extended eye contact with a dog triggers a release of oxytocin, which is extremely comforting. Making physical contact with the dog, or in fact just seeing one, can lower our heart rate as well as our blood pressure. They can make human beings feel less pain, feel less agitated and be less prone to depression and anxiety.
My three dogs also come to work with me each day (we are rarely apart) and they hold me accountable to breaking up my workday getting outdoors, taking care of them but also taking care of myself. Good Dog explores these benefits too: One study cited in the book found that dog owners were 24 per cent less likely to die, over a ten-period period, than non-dog owners.
This may be because dogs provide loving companionship and therefore lower stress, while also keeping their owners more physically active through regular walks.
Another tested the blood pressure of everyone in a hospital cancer care unit half an hour before a volunteer dog arrived, and half an hour after the dog left. The researchers found that blood pressure levels had gone down for everyone present – the patients, nurses and the administration and cleaning staff on the ward.
Kate and Bertie meet 10 other remarkable dogs who've changed human lives. Each has its own dedicated chapter (and profile sketch).
Missy the pug, who helps 11-year-old Cody live his best life despite his autism diagnosis,
Echo helps kids learn to read,
Pip, who helps her teenage owner manage diabetes,
Jingles, who works with inmates in a prison,
Poppi, is a very smart and excited guide dog that helps keep her owner Liz mobile and independent,
Mya, saved her companions life helping him navigate mental health issues,
Gwen, is a companion in court helping support victims throughout proceedings,
Sir Jack Spratticus, supports Ness with PTSD and social anxiety (he is also a muse for artists and has sat for 60 or more portraits which adorn the walls of his home,
Teddy woke his owner from a coma and assisted with his rehabilitation,
Noodle, supports people in a dementia ward.
With each story, it becomes more and more obvious how profoundly dogs can support us, comfort us and even save our lives.
Dogs give people so much: affection, companionship and profound emotional support. This is precisely why during the pandemic response my social media feeds were flooded with four-legged companions instead of the creative outcomes I would typically see. We were all anxious and our canine friends were there helping us through the uncertain times.
Learn more about the special bond we share with our dogs, how they enrich our lives and health benefits dog ownership brings. I’d highly recommend this insightful book. And think the publishers sum the Good Dog audience up best:
This is a book for anyone who has ever loved a dog -
and known their love in return.
