Hey Pet Lovers, Check This Out! Book Review and Giveaway: What a Difference a Dog Makes--Big Lessons on Life, Love, and Healing from a Small Pooch by Dana Jennings. Two Winners for this one.

When I first received this book from the publisher, Doubleday, I admit, I had my doubts about how substantial it was. It's a tiny book, only 154 pages and I wondered how much could there be to say about a dog anyway? Was I ever wrong! If you've ever had a dog or a cat (there's a chapter on cats too!), you'll identify with the author and what his message is in a big way.

The author, Dana Jennings is the assistant editor of the New York Times Arts and Leisure section. He writes a popular column about coping with prostate cancer and its aftermath for the Times Well blog. This book is a laugh-out-loud, poignant account of how Jenning's 12-year-old miniature poodle named Bijou de Minuit--Bijou for short--helped him through some of the most arduous times of his life: an aggressive form of prostate cancer and his son, a high school senior suddenly and unexpectedly, contracting auto-immune liver disease--total liver failure. It was a scary time. A comfort then and now is Bijou.