Books by Kate Leaver

Celebratory, joyous and moving, this is a book about the profoundly healing, curative qualities of dogs - and how we need dogs in our lives more than ever. Good Dog is about the power of canine friendship - in particular the profoundly healing role that dogs can play in our lives... - a celebration of the extraordinary creatures who change - and sometimes even save - our lives. Covering the science and history of our extraordinary relationship with dogs, and focusing on the role that dogs can play in enriching and improving our mental and emotional health and our lives, Good Dog is a celebration of the most remarkable cross-species friendship on the planet. Good Dog focuses on ten powerful, personal stories of dogs and their owners, from Missy the pug, who has allowed 10-year-old autistic Cody to live his best life to Darcy, who spends precious time in a children's hospice; from Pip, who helps her teenage owner manage her diabetes, to Jingles, who works in therapy and rehab at a prison.
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Celebratory, joyous and moving, this is a book about the profoundly healing, curative qualities of dogs - and how we need dogs in our lives more than ever. The dog-human bond is the most extraordinary cross-species friendship on the planet. Dogs give people so much: affection, co...mpanionship and profound emotional support. Now, more than ever, we can see the clear health benefits of living with a dog by our side. Drawing on science, research and in-depth personal interviews, Good Dog demonstrates how vastly a dog can improve our mental and physical health as well as our quality of life. Kate Leaver begins by telling the story of how she met her beloved rescue shih tzu, Bertie, and how powerfully he helps her through periods of depression. Then she meets 10 other remarkable dogs who've changed human lives - from Missy the pug, who helps 11-year-old Cody live his best life despite his autism diagnosis, to Pip, who helps her teenage owner manage diabetes, and Jingles, who works with inmates in a prison. With each story, it becomes more and more obvious how profoundly dogs can support us, comfort us and even save our lives. Celebratory, joyous and moving, this is a book for anyone who has ever loved a dog - and known their love in return.
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The basic compulsion to make friends is in our DNA; we've evolved, chimp-like, to seek out connection with others. We move through life in packs and friendship circles and yet we are stuck in the greatest loneliness epidemic of our time. It's killing us, making us miserable and c...ausing a public health crisis. But what if friendship is the solution, not the distraction? Kate Leaver believes that friendship is the essential cure for the modern malaise of solitude, ignorance, ill health and angst. If we only treated camaraderie as a social priority, it could affect everything from our physical health and emotional well-being to our capacity to find a home, keep a job, get married, stay married, succeed, feed and understand ourselves. In this book, a witty, smart, thought-provoking and appealing exploration of friendship, she meets scientists, speaks to old friends, finds extraordinary stories and uncovers research to look at what friendship is, how to keep it, why we need it and what we can do to get the most from it - and how we might change the world if we value it properly.
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The compelling, fresh, and thought-provoking exploration of friendship--what it is, how to keep it, and why we need it more than ever before

From behavioural scientists to best mates, Kate finds extraordinary stories and research, drawing on her own experiences to create a fascinating blend of accessible smart thinking, investigative journalism, pop culture and memoir to understand the meaning and importance of modern... friendship.
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