When Dogs Heal: Powerful Stories of People Living with HIV and the Dogs That Saved Them

by Jesse Freidin, Christina Garofalo, Robert Garofalo, Zach Stafford, Jesse Freidin (Photographer)

Overview

The best medicine may not always be found at a pharmacy or in a doctor’s office. Sometimes it comes in the form of a four-legged friend.

Three well-known leaders in their fields—award-winning dog photographer Jesse Freidin, adolescent HIV+ specialist Dr. Robert Garofalo, and LGBTQ advocate and journalist Zach Stafford—offer a refreshing, beautiful, and unique portrait of HIV infused with a deep message of hope. Each extraordinary profile shows the power of the incredible bonds between humans and their canine companions, whether that means combating loneliness and stigma, discovering the importance of unconditional love, overcoming addiction, or simply having a best friend in a time of need.

When Dogs Heal shares the stories of a diverse set of people who are thriving and celebrating life thanks to the compassion and unconditional love of their dogs.

A portion of the proceeds from this book benefits Fred Says, an organization dedicated to financially supporting HIV+ teen health care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541586765
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 10.25(h) x 0.35(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Jesse Freidin is a fine-art dog photographer whose dog portraits are in private collections throughout the United States and have been exhibited in galleries from coast to coast. He's based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Christina Garofalo is an L.A.-based TV writer and journalist. She's covered travel, food, and culture for more than a dozen publications, including Afar, Huffington Post, Jetsetter, Paste, Resident, Robb Report, and ShermansTravel. Previously, she's served as an editor for ShermansTravel, Robb Report, and Gilt.com. Christina is also the voice of Fred Says on social media.

Robert Garofalo is a professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University and physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. He is founder of Fred Says, a non-profit charity that supports HIV+ youth

Zach Stafford is an award-winning journalist who currently serves as editor-at-large of BuzzFeed and co-host of the daily news podcast News O'Clock. Zach regularly provides commentary on television and has appeared on the BBC, CNN and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He's based in New York City.

Jesse Freidin is a fine-art dog photographer whose dog portraits are in private collections throughout the United States and have been exhibited in galleries from coast to coast. He's based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Introduction Jesse Freidin, Photographer 8

Introduction Dr. Robert Garofalo 12

A Gift All the Same Joseph Pancakes 16

Owning My Story Amador Bella 20

A Passion for Life Gary Harry 24

How to Stop Loneliness Felecia Gypsy Rose Lee Simon 28

My Rock Tremaine Rocky Balboa Madam Russia 32

My Reassurance Coleman Dodo 34

The Princess Who Saved Us Bert Keila David 38

My Daily Reminder Brad Sookie 40

The Love I Deserved Lynnea Coconut 42

My Main Focus Bryan Taco 46

My Chosen Family Joseph Ganesh 50

Embracing Life Sister Lotti Da Shiner 52

Taking a Chance Mitch Peanut 56

I Carry Him in My Heart Hoot Sploot 60

When I Need Them the Most Brandon Echo Nike Ajax 64

A Space in the World Lisa Mimi 68

When Dogs Save RJ Stoli 72

Appreciate What You Have Barry Lola 76

A Loving Home Saanti Bonet Adutchess 80

A Search for Intimacy Brent Sally Monty 84

Timing Is Everything Jason Gigi 88

Hearing Each Other Adam Laila 92

Healing Each Other Brad Thor 96

What the Universe Intended Samus Starbody Zeus 98

He Loves Me for Me Dennis Buddy 102

My Stud, My Strength Paulo Stud 106

Everyone Needs a Little Couture Michelle, Raven Couture 110

From Nobody to Somebody Steven Gav 112

Building Safe Spaces César Hoa Chico Pepe Ann 116

A Bridge to Healing Harley Celie 120

My Comfort after the Dark Sharon Dulk 124

Someone to Belong To Daniel Loki 128

The Whole Me Julian Papi 132

The Caretaker Chris Blakely 136

The Power of Hope Steven Hope 138

When Dogs Heal Rob Fred 142

Fred Says: It All Started with a Dog! 148

Paws n' Effect 149

Resources 150

Acknowledgments 151

Editorial Reviews

"A unique collection that is unflinchingly honest and infused with hope. These valuable lessons of empathy, self-care, and acceptance will inspire all readers . . ."—starred, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2020-12-24
Learn how dogs were lifesaving companions to people living with HIV.

This compilation of 36 personal essays features stories of the love, hope, and acceptance that HIV-positive individuals felt when a dog came into their lives. The interviewees are a diverse group in terms of age, gender identity, race, and life experiences, but their stories all have a similar thread wherein their lives were at a low ebb until they adopted a dog. The dogs provided a sense of purpose, a reason for living, and, in some cases, the motivation to improve the interviewee’s situation. Each human subject and their canine companion are shown together in a full-page color photograph against a clean, white background followed by three pages of first-person text describing their stories. Queer, dog-loving photographer Freidin reflects in his introduction on the unconditional love he received from dogs, something that stood in contrast to negative judgment from humans, and his hope that these photo essays will overturn stigmatizing narratives about people living with HIV. Although the stories are uplifting and well written, the uniformity of the theme may become monotonous for readers who read it cover to cover, making it more suitable for dipping into and browsing by those seeking a compilation of true narratives that show the possibilities of life after an HIV diagnosis.

Stories connecting a range of HIV-positive queer experiences with dog ownership. (resources) (Nonfiction. 15-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

★ 03/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—This book shares portraits and personal experiences of people who are HIV-positive. Each color photo of the individual and their dog is accompanied by a brief section of text. The text spotlights compelling subjects such as Amador, a Latinx man who decided to keep living because his dog Bella needed him to care for her. Amador expresses that he wants to help people in the Latinx community who struggle with the lack of support and education concerning HIV. Lynnea, a Black woman who learned of her positive status at age seven, discovered how to expect more from her relationships and leave her abusive partner by becoming the owner of a dog named Coconut. The wide range of people and stories depict themes of loneliness, addiction, shame, and isolation; each entry shows how having an animal to care for teaches someone the fundamentals of self-care and self-respect. Back matter includes a list of resources but does not include a glossary. VERDICT A unique collection that is unflinchingly honest and infused with hope. These valuable lessons of empathy, self-care, and acceptance will inspire all readers and will be especially encouraging for young people who are living with HIV.—Aaren Tucker, Univ. of Illinois

School Library Journal