Celebrating the Response to *Good Dogs, Broken System

*Good Dogs, Broken System* has reached #1 on Amazon in four categories and placed in the Top 5 across eight categories. That early response is gratifying, but more important is what it suggests: dog owners and veterinary professionals are looking for a clearer way to work together.

The book was written because both sides usually want the same thing—a healthier, happier dog—yet appointments still leave people feeling rushed and only partially heard. Costs rise, appointment windows shrink, and conflicting advice multiplies. The dog sits in the middle of that friction. *Good Dogs, Broken System* does not pretend those pressures disappear. It offers a practical path through them.

Dog owners will find the book useful for three concrete reasons.

First, it gives you a framework you can actually use day to day. The Coerenza Approach organizes care around five connected pillars—Exercise, Environment, Enrichment, Nutrition, and Responsibility. These are not abstract ideas. When you see how flooring affects a dog’s willingness to move, how mental stimulation changes restless behavior, or how a clear role in the family reduces stress, you stop treating each issue as separate. You start seeing the whole dog. That shift changes what you notice between visits and what you can describe clearly when you walk into the clinic.

Second, the book supplies tools that make the next conversation with your veterinary team more productive. Inside you will find a Coerenza Assessment Worksheet, a collaborative care plan outline, pillar-by-pillar checklists, and a short conversation guide. These help you arrive with specific observations instead of a general sense that “something feels off.” They also help the team respond with advice that fits your dog’s actual life rather than a generic recommendation. When both sides look at the same map, the appointment becomes more useful for everyone—especially the dog.

Third, the book shows what becomes possible when small, consistent changes add up. Cora’s journey, which runs through the pages, is one example. An energetic puppy whose chewing, potty habits, and general chaos improved once her family addressed exercise, enrichment, environment, nutrition, and her role in the household together. Other case examples follow the same pattern: mobility that holds better when the home supports movement, behavior that settles when mental needs are met, and a stronger sense of belonging when expectations are clear. The point is not perfection. The point is progress that owners can see and sustain.

The foreword by Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, captures the core idea well: owners and veterinarians need the same map for the dog in front of them. You bring daily knowledge no clinician can duplicate. Your veterinary team brings diagnostic skill and clinical experience. Better outcomes happen when those two perspectives work from a shared understanding.

*Good Dogs, Broken System* is not another list of rules or a claim that lifestyle fixes every medical problem. It is a practical guide for owners who want clearer communication, more confident daily decisions, and a stronger partnership with the people helping care for their dog. The rankings reflect that many readers have already found it useful. The real measure, though, will be what happens in homes and exam rooms when the five pillars become a shared language.

Five pillars. One partnership. The book is simply the next step in putting that idea into practice.