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To lose 30 pounds, Patti Lawson worked like a dog. And now, she's written a book to prove it.

Lawson is author of "The Dog Diet," a memoir stuffed with anecdotes about how her real-life pooch helped her lose the one around her tummy — and regain self-confidence, hope and a bit of wit in the process.

The attorney-turned-writer's narrative was named "Dog Humor Book of the Year" by the Dog Writers Association of America in February.

In the winter of 2002, heartbroken by the end of a long-term romance and disillusioned with her career as a finance attorney, Lawson did what many people do when they're unhappy: Eat.

She ate ice cream, pizza, fast food. But when noshing didn't satisfy her loneliness and her weight went up 30 pounds, Lawson decided it was time to find another balm for her sadness at her local Petsmart store in Charleston, W.Va., where she now resides.

"I got a dog for very selfish reasons," Lawson said in a phone interview. "I thought, 'I am certainly not thinking of dating right now. Maybe not ever. So I'm going to get a dog.'"

But caring for Sadie, a part cocker spaniel, part German shepherd puppy, didn't just change Lawson's disposition. It unexpectedly changed her diet.

In March 2003, Lawson said, Sadie's vet warned her not to feed her new pet any junk food, but it seemed the canine only had cravings for heart-clogging cuisine. Like her owner, the dog wanted ice cream, pizza, fast food.

Every time Lawson would come home with fatty fare for herself, Sadie would jump on her master, nosing her way into Lawson's meals.

"Well, I just have to eat better stuff, because I certainly can't give her pizza," Lawson recalled thinking. "Ice cream wasn't good for her, so there went the mocha java chip (ice cream) I'd lived on all winter."

There, too, went Lawson's waistline. She started eating healthy foods that were both palatable and safe for Sadie — hardboiled eggs, tuna in water, cottage cheese — as well as raw vegetables that the pup simply shunned. Lawson said that since Sadie showed no interest in a salad with chicken, eating such nutritious meals became her "only peace."

Lawson said she also started enjoying exercise, or what the author coined "dogercise": any movement with Sadie that got her off the couch and onto the local sidewalks.

"I learned that a dog is the best personal trainer you can have," Lawson said. "They don't call in sick. (Sadie) is always ready to go when I am."

Over a period of seven months, Lawson said she lost her post-breakup weight. When a co-worker asked how she had slimmed down, Lawson spontaneously said she was on "the dog diet" — and a book idea, and title, was born.

As a former English teacher who always had thought about writing a book, Lawson already had signed up for a writing class when she adopted Sadie. Required to put together a book proposal for the class, Lawson pitched a tongue-in-cheek review of the life lessons she was learning from her pet.

In April 2006, Lawson's book was published by HCI Books. The 271-page memoir includes dieting tips she picked up from Sadie, such as "the duties of dog care aren't burdens, they're calorie consumers," Lawson said. But in addition to offering recipes and meal plans, the book also chronicles the ways Sadie pulled Lawson out of her state of sadness, by making the writer turn her attention outside herself.

"I went out and adopted a dog, but she rescued me," Lawson said. "All of a sudden, I wasn't the center of my world."

Lawson credits her pup with giving her pointers on how to enjoy life, including foods she likes in moderation. The writer said her book doesn't propose crash dieting or avoiding any particular cuisine. Now a size 6, Lawson said having a dog has taught her to be happy with where she's at — on the scale and in life.

"I'm not looking for perfection," she said. "Dogs like you the way you are, and that's a good lesson."

Four-legged diet companions — also known as lovable pets — can be found at many local animal shelters.

Even if you're unable to add a furry friend to your family right now, there are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer with shelter animals and get a workout at the same time.

If you want hands-on time with the critters, try volunteering as a dog walker (or cat socializer, for a calmer workout) at the Pima Animal Care Center, which has about 60 dogs and 20 cats available for adoption at any given time. You could also take one of the 75 or so adoptable dogs at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona on walks or through obedience training.

"You will absolutely get a great workout walking the dogs," said Peggy Johnston, volunteer coordinator for the local Humane Society. "A lot of the volunteers say it's a great secondary benefit for them: that in addition to helping the dogs, they also get outside and get exercise."

Many volunteers are animal lovers who can't be pet owners because of their current circumstances, such as being a student or living in a small apartment.

"We're a great outlet for them because they can come and walk the dogs here," Johnston said.

That's why Wendy Wiener and her daughter Dalea Hermanson, 11, have been volunteering at the Humane Society every day after school for the past year and a half. They have cats, rats, turtles and tortoises at home, but no room for a permanent pooch.

"We have a small house and can't afford a dog," Wiener explained.

"We started out walking dogs, but now we mostly pick a dog that has been there a long time and shower it with attention," she said. "We play in the yard a lot, and just get the dog socialized and used to kids."

The last pup they worked with was a strong and energetic Australian cattle dog. Wiener began lifting weights and jogging with the pooch to ensure that she could keep up with his boundless energy.

"He loved it, and I hate to admit how good it felt," she said of jogging with the dog.

If you do have your own pooch and are looking for even more of a human-dog workout, Johnston recommends taking a six-week agility training class offered through the society's Companions for Life Center.

"The dogs just love it," she said.