Book ~ "Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too" (2019) Carol Novello and Ginny Graves

From Goodreads ~ "Mutual Rescue" profiles the transformational impact that shelter pets have on humans, exploring the emotional, physical and spiritual gifts that rescued animals provide. It explores through anecdote, observation and scientific research, the complexity and depth of the role that pets play in our lives. Every story in the book brings an unrecognized benefit of adopting homeless animals to the forefront of the rescue conversation.

In a nation plagued by illnesses - 16 million adults suffer from depression, 29 million have diabetes, 8 million in any given year have PTSD and nearly 40% are obese - rescue pets can help: 60% of doctors said they prescribe pet adoption and a staggering 97% believe that pet ownership provides health benefits. For people in chronic emotional, physical or spiritual pain, adopting an animal can transform and even save, their lives.

Each story in the book takes a deep dive into one potent aspect of animal adoption, told through the lens of people's personal experiences with their rescued pets and the science that backs up the results. This book will resonate with readers hungering for stories of healing and redemption.

I love reading books about animals.  I volunteer with a cat rescue and this book caught my eye.

There are four sections in this book ... heart, body, mind and connection.  In each section there are stories of people rescuing animals (including dogs, cats, pigs, horses, etc.) but also how the animal "rescued" them.  Some were mourning the death of a loved one, while others were recovering from PTSD, being bullied, being abused, addictions, injuries, traumatic childhoods, etc., and others were dealing with loneliness, autism, reading skills, etc.

The chapters in the sections start with true stories of people who needed an animal in their lives and rescued one and how it affected their lives and those in their families (ie how they were rescued).  What followed after that were the findings of studies relating to the stories.

I liked this book.  It was interesting to read the stories but also get the facts in the studies.  Many of the stories were made into short films and they and pictures can be found on the Mutual Rescue website.