Julie Barton poses with Bunker in 2007, shortly before he passed.
Photo courtesy of Julie Barton, via nypost.com
We have posted a lot about the healing powers of dogs, and a new book makes the case that a Golden Retriever puppy named Bunker saved Julie Barton’s life. At twenty-two years old, Barton was severely depressed, and no amount of psychotherapy or medication seemed to help her. One day, she decided to do one hopeful thing—adopt a Golden Retriever puppy she named Bunker—and suddenly the world looked different.
Barton has written a memoir about her experience, Dog Medicine, and an excerpt appears in the New York Post:
Soon after I brought Bunker home, I felt my depression returning, and realized that maybe this puppy wasn’t the magical cure I had hoped for. Then Bunker walked across the room, sat on my feet, leaned against my shins and looked up at me. That was the moment that I knew he understood me. So I let myself be as upset as I needed to be, knowing that Bunker would never question or judge what I was experiencing. That’s when the sadness began to dissolve.
I have not seen the book yet, but it looks to be pretty inspiring stuff.
Click here for the full story.
