The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook -- What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing

In this classic work of developmental psychology, renowned psychiatrist and the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller What Happened to You? reveals how trauma affects children--and outlines the path to recovery

How does trauma affect a child's mind--and how can that mind recover?

Child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce D. Perry has helped children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, murder witnesses, kidnapped teenagers, and victims of family violence. In the classic The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, Dr. Perry tells their stories of trauma and transformation and shares their lessons of courage, humanity, and hope. Deftly combining unforgettable case histories with his own compassionate, insightful strategies for rehabilitation, Perry explains what happens to children's brains when they are exposed to extreme stress--and reveals the unexpected measures that can be taken to ease such pain and help them grow into healthy adults. Only when we understand the science of the mind and the power of love and nurturing can we hope to heal the spirit of even the most wounded child.

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Published Aug 29, 2017

448 pages

Average rating: 8.23

31 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Kriss Galloway
Feb 20, 2026
8/10 stars
One could posit that Dr. Bruce Perry’s The boy who was raised as a dog and other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook: What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing, is a self-help book on steroids. Not only does it utilize anecdotes from Dr. Perry’s case files, it also details his engagement with patients, how they evolve and respond to treatment, and for those interested enough, outline diagnoses and treatment plans. When he was able, Dr. Perry also provided a follow-up anecdote on how his patient did after treatment. But make no mistake, this is not a light-hearted read for the beach vacation. At times it is both heart-breaking and sickening because he does not flinch away from the horrors enacted upon these children. We find that the biggest monsters in the closet are ourselves.
Nelaurin
Mar 28, 2023
9/10 stars
Great book! Was very helpful to understand how trauma impacts individuals throughout their life and how sometimes that depends on when the trauma happens, what it was, who inflicted, what resources they receive and when etc. Really helped make things make more sense.

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