The Dog as Guide, Guard and Healer

People and dogs are the world's oldest companions, having journeyed together since ancient times. This book utilizes psychology, comparative mythology, and dog ethology to examine new perspectives of this journey. Weaving dog archetypal characteristics of guide, guard, and healer throughout the pages, this book uses the works of past philosophers, psychologists, and dog ethological research to frame these perspectives. Selected scientific studies with primary source materials offer context and insights.

Dogs possess both a unique psychological essence as well as physical presence within the human/dog bond. Dogs, as guides, guards, and healers, share individual relationships with people couched in the present and framed by universal influences, evident in cultures throughout history. Two of the most important questions in history revolve around the questions of how and why. This book takes the reader on their own journey of discovery concerning how and why the characteristics of guide, guard, and healer resonate within the human/dog bond.