Short Synopsis
In this moving, funny account from the author of Can't Remember What I Forgot, a layabout mutt turned therapy dog leads her owner to a new understanding of the good life.

Full Synopsis
At loose ends with her daughter leaving home and her husband on the road, Sue Halpern decided to give herself and Pransky, her under-occupied Labradoodle, a new leash—er, lease—on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy dog team. Smart, spirited, and instinctively compassionate, Pransky turned out to be not only a terrific therapist but an unerring moral compass. In the unlikely sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn't expected. And little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern's sense of what virtue is and does—how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to.

Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt—showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)—taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.

"Karen White's authentic interpretation of this moving book elevates Halpern's humane writing. Sounding perfectly in tune with the author's sensibilities and never losing track of the broader themes, she glides through the poetic, be-there-now passages. ---AudioFile

"Time and again, anecdotes bolster her contention that in places where 'life is in the balance,' it is possible to get to the essentials about human nature." ---Publishers Weekly

"Halpern is a writer of immense talents and enormous heart. A joyous and moving account of how seemingly small gifts of kindness can make a profound difference. And not to the recipient alone." ---Geraldine Brooks, author of Caleb's Crossing

"With uncommon wit and insight, Sue Halpern has written a book about a dog that is ultimately, a book about humanity. A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is a beautiful, honest, joyful accounting of what matters." ---Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge