Another Language: Portraits of Assistance Dogs and Their People - Softcover

Braham, Jeanne

 
9780872331501: Another Language: Portraits of Assistance Dogs and Their People
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0872331504 ISBN 13: 9780872331501
Publisher: Bauhan Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

Few of the 65 million dog owners in the United States would dispute the notion that a dog's presence in their lives nurtures emotional and physical well-being. But for some people with disabilities, the presence of a highly trained assistance dog in their lives is utterly transformative. Another Language focuses on one year in the life of the NEADS/Dogs For Deaf and Disabled Americans program in north-central Massachusetts, one of the oldest and largest assistance dog training centers in the U.S. Through profiles that celebrate the healing bonds between service dogs and their people, these oral histories backed by the power of photographs bring to life the stories of sixteen people who have worked with NEADS. Through these stories told in their own words, you'll meet an Iraq war veteran, people who use wheelchairs or who have balance problems due to debilitating disease, trainers who raise service puppies and others who work with NEADS' human clients, and more. Writer/interviewer Jeanne Braham, along with photographer Robert Floyd, portray these human/canine partnerships in a way that's respectful, compassionate, and compelling.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Author of five books on American arts and letters, Jeanne Braham has taught literature and creative writing at a number of colleges and universities, including Allegheny College, Smith College, Hampshire College, the University of New Hampshire, and Clark University. She is the founding editor of Heatherstone Press, a fine arts publisher of poetry chapbooks, and lives in western Massachusetts.

From the Back Cover

From the introduction: It's a sunny, leaf-strewn autumn day in late 2009; an extraordinary crowd mills in the hallway outside the conference room in the Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Marriott. Even a casual bystander could differentiate this group from the usual tweedy academics or business suits that typically congregate here. For one thing, a number of people wheel expertly around in wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Others use canes or crutches for support. But most eye-catching are the beautifully behaved dogs that are sprinkled liberally through the crowd—some alertly watching their owners for the next cue, others lying patiently beside their companions while conversations buzz over their heads. Labrador Retrievers, Smooth-coated Collies, Golden Retrievers, a Standard Poodle, an Australian Labradoodle, several smaller terrier or spaniel type dogs appear, all wearing the distinctive red vest marked NEADS . . .. . . We decided to tell this story by profiling and photographing a number of human-canine teams who have graduated from NEADS quite recently. Interviews with a breeder of therapy dogs, staff and trainers at NEADS, a weekend puppy raiser, and an inmate dog trainer serve to frame and put into context the primary stories. Insofar as possible I've allowed the subjects to speak in their own words. While this is a book describing some of the cutting-edge programs and expanding services now available in the world of assistance dogs, it is, in a more intimate way, a group of intensely personal stories told from the inside of difficult and challenging experiences. . . .

From the Inside Flap

From the introduction: It's a sunny, leaf-strewn autumn day in late 2009; an extraordinary crowd mills in the hallway outside the conference room in the Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Marriott. Even a casual bystander could differentiate this group from the usual tweedy academics or business suits that typically congregate here. For one thing, a number of people wheel expertly around in wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Others use canes or crutches for support. But most eye-catching are the beautifully behaved dogs that are sprinkled liberally through the crowd some alertly watching their owners for the next cue, others lying patiently beside their companions while conversations buzz over their heads. Labrador Retrievers, Smooth-coated Collies, Golden Retrievers, a Standard Poodle, an Australian Labradoodle, several smaller terrier or spaniel type dogs appear, all wearing the distinctive red vest marked NEADS . . .. . . We decided to tell this story by profiling and photographing a number of human-canine teams who have graduated from NEADS quite recently. Interviews with a breeder of therapy dogs, staff and trainers at NEADS, a weekend puppy raiser, and an inmate dog trainer serve to frame and put into context the primary stories. Insofar as possible I've allowed the subjects to speak in their own words. While this is a book describing some of the cutting-edge programs and expanding services now available in the world of assistance dogs, it is, in a more intimate way, a group of intensely personal stories told from the inside of difficult and challenging experiences. . . .

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Bauhan Publishing
Publication date
2012
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0872331504
ISBN 13 
9780872331501
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
1
Number of pages
144