READING =. Discovering Self-Acceptance With A Dog (NAPSA)—Love can be the cure for many problems—and sometimes the love that’s needed can only be supplied by a beloved dog. That was the case for Deborah Potter, who met her bordercollie, Buster, in an animal shelter. While sheinitially rescued Buster, it would turn out to be Buster who would rescue her from thedifficult years of post-traumatic stress disorder. Potter’s new book, “Let Buster Lead” (Sunstone Press), is a personal memoir about love, courage and healing. It’s not a typical pet love story but rather an inspirational self-help book wrapped around a dog treat. Potter met Buster while grieving over the death of her father, and he helped restore her faith in life. He also helped her cope with a high-powered marriage, intense stress and faltering self-esteem. When she suffered a major trauma in a horse accident, Buster stayed by her side, his herding dog instincts protecting her vulnerable and broken body from harm. A year after the accident, she became too tense to be touched by others or leave her home, unaware that she had developed a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the book, she describes how she discovered she had this disorder and how Buster became her official service dog. Helping to restore her mental health and self-assurance, Buster led her back into a normallife. “T learned a lot about myself after my injuries,” said Potter. “But I might never have grown Sometimes the path to self- acceptance can involve following a dog’s footprints, says an inspiring new book. from them if it had not been for Buster. Wanting him near me made me discover that I had an illness.” When Potter was at her worst and could not stand to have anyone touch her, the only therapy she wanted was to have Buster near. “Without that support andlove, going through life with a disability could have changed meinto an angry, bitter recluse,” said Potter, who was born into an entertainment A-list family. Her mother, Joan Fontaine, aunt Olivia de Havilland and stepmother Ann Rutherford were 1940s-era movie stars. Potter worked as an actors’ representative and with her husband developed a real estate law firm. The book is available where books are sold. For more information, visit www.deborahdpotter.com.
