Therapy Dogs

Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others
This book was written in 2002 by Kathy Diamond Davis. Are you looking for a new and meaningful way to work with your dog? Do you want to improve the lives of those who because of illness or disability would benefit from visits with a volunteer canine "therapist"? Then think about becoming a Therapy Dog Team. New 2nd edition gives you all the information you need to select, socialize and train your dog for this work. You will learn: *What therapy dog work involves and how to train for it *Benefits therapy dog work provides for you, your dog and others *Various settings in which therapy dog teams do their work *Whether your family pet might make a good therapy dog *Selecting and training a puppy for therapy work *How to keep yourself and your dog fresh for the work **Includes a complete course outline for teaching therapy dog classes!

Canines in the Classroom (2004)
Written by Michelle Rivera. Raising humane children through interactions with animals. Shows how to use classroom pets and animal programs to teach humane treatment of animals in the classroom and become a part of a growing movement raising society's awareness of how we treat one another and our ultimate home, the Earth. Includes some lesson plans, case histories dealing with animal cruelty, results of bringing animals into classrooms, etc.

Therapy Dogs Today - Their Gifts, Our Obligation
This book was written in 2004 by Kris Butler. 2004 Dog Writers Assn. of America Writing Competition Nominee! Highlights many of the new and creative ways people include dogs in clinical, educational, and crisis response settings. Offers new perspectives regarding the roles and responsibilities of handlers, trainers, and facility staff; and it re-examines the processes through which visiting dog and handler teams are validated.
 
Therapy Pets: The Animal-Human Healing Partnership
This book was written by Jacqueline J. Crawford, Karen A. Pomerinke and Donald W. Smith and was published in May 2003 by Prometheus Books. Crawford, a clinical psychologist, and Pomerinke, a professional dog trainer, provide a touching introduction to Animal Assisted Therapy in 23 profiles of people who benefited from AAT. In intimate and enthusiastic short chapters, the authors cover the notable variety of the animals' healing power. The appendix includes a state-by-state listing of AAT organizations and a chapter on how to get your pet started in the field. This uplifting book shows how the field of Animal Assisted Therapy is having remarkable success training animals to help and enhance the lives of children and adults with serious medical problems.

Wanted! Animal Volunteers, Revised 2nd Edition
This book was written in 2002 by Mary Burch. It is the revised 2nd edition of Volunteering with Your Pet. A necessary manual for anyone who wishes to join the growing number of volunteers who are working in therapy settings, supplementing conventional medicine with the healing potential of contact with animals. Topics include: why do pet therapy, history of therapy, which pets do what and why, where you can volunteer, off on your own, and an index of case histories.

Animal-Assisted Therapy and Activities: Study, Resource Guide & Bibliography for the Use of Companion Animals in Selected Therapies, 9th Ed.
This book was written in 2004 by Phil Arkow. It is a guide for the use of companion animals in selected therapies, starting with a definition of pet therapy and its history. Application in various types of facilities are discussed, and there is an extensive section on how to organize a pet therapy program. Part II covers sources for further information, some of which are university studies, others are specific programs in action. Also included are sample pet policies from various places, a directory of Federal and State agencies, and legislation affecting pet therapy programs. A must for anyone considering working in this field or developing a program!

Working as a Therapy Dog (2003)
This book was written by Lorna Stanart. It gives numerous, vivid, heartwarming examples of "small miracles" that take place when a therapy dog visits people in a variety of venues: nursing homes, psychiatric institutions, special facilities for mentally and physically challenged young adults, etc. The book is at times deeply moving as well as frequently humorous. Included are informative chapters on how your dog can be trained and prepared to be a therapy dog, and practical applications of how to be more effective in Animal Assisted Therapy. Informative as well as a good "pleasure reading" book, it is written in plain language, just like a friend telling the reader a story about what happened the other day at work.

Hospice Hounds (2001)
Written by Michelle Rivera. Inspiring true stories of two dogs, a yellow Lab and an Australian Shepherd, and their therapeutic influences on terminally ill patients at a south Florida hospice facility. Through the dogs' open-hearted and responsive care, people in their last days were given joy, companionship, or sometimes simple diversion from their pain or suffering. Touches on some of the most delicate issues that face us when we die: our need to reconcile with loved ones and the past; our desire to overcome our fear of death; our hopes for the future. The stories also provide examples of how non-human animals can open us up to the possibilities of joy, sorrow, comfort, and other emotions we may have forgotten how to feel.

Kids & Animals: A Healing Partnership Video (1999)
A remarkable 1 hour video that takes you on an emotional journey as you explore the healing bonds formed between children and animals. You will meet some amazing children who face extreme challenges in their lives. You will be moved as animals take on the role of therapist. Their personal stories will make you cry and laugh and fill you with hope. An Award Winning Documentary, Family Approved.

Therapy Dogs: Compassionate Modalities Book & DVD (2004)
By Kris Butler. Interventions that are functional as well as fun. DVD contains an introduction to the important roles of dogs, handlers, staff, and trainers associated with every animal-enhanced intervention. Goal directed visitations are demonstrated: petting and brushing; putting equipment on the dog, walking with dog, retrieving, floor exercises, and small dog exercises. After each demonstration a list of needed skills helps trainers and instructors prepare for a similar exercise. A second list identifies specific treatment goals that might be developed by health care professionals. As well as providing key points in the video, the book also contains information relating to issues that are not addressed, or only cursorily addressed, in the DVD.

Where The Trail Grows Faint: A Year In The Life Of A Therapy Dog Team (2005)
This book was written by Lynne Hugo in 2005. This is Hannah," Lynne Hugo introduces her chocolate Labrador retriever to an aged woman in a wheelchair at the Golden View Nursing Home. "Would you like to pat her?" "I don't know," she responds warily. "Dogs are complicated." So, of course, is life, especially as the years accumulate and the body declines. In fact, the most painful complications are those that Hugo hopes to ease with Hannah, her exuberant therapy dog. What Hugo receives in return, unexpectedly, is an outpouring of stories as the residents respond to Hannah's antics and affection. As Hugo's involvement deepens, she begins to see her own life and her care for her elderly parents in a new perspective. Interweaving the elders' tales-of old loves and ancient dreams, abandonment and loneliness, and the struggle for dignity-with her own family's story, she creates a richly textured collective portrait of the often-hidden world of the aged. At the same time, she crafts an eloquent meditation on the fundamental human need to nurture and remain connected to other people, to animals, and to the natural world. Lynne Hugo is the author of two poetry collections, The Time Change and A Progress of Miracles, and is the co-author with Anna Tuttle Villegas of two novels, Swimming Lessons and Baby's Breath.

Rosie: A Visiting Dog's Story
This book was written by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Justin Sutcliffe, and published by Clarion Books in 1994. Rosie is the author's own dog, who is a working dog registered with the Delta's Society's Pet Partners Program. She proved to be a good listener and have a friendly and happy disposition. This indicated she would be suited to be a visiting dog, specially trained to cheer people who are ill or sad or lonely. Rosie visits people in hospitals, nursing homes and schools. This book shows how visiting dogs must learn when to sit quietly, when to play, and when to approach a new person. It also shows how they must grow accustomed to wheelchairs, walkers, and other medical equipment that they will see at hospitals and nursing homes.

Nose to Nose
This book was written in 2002 by Barry Schieber. It is a memoir about healing. Recovering from emergency surgery in a foreign country, Barry Schieber finds himself buying a puppy to bring back to Montana. He had never thought of owning a dog, any dog - let alone one that will soon tip the scales at over a hundred pounds. (Bernese Mt. Dog) Once home, wherever they go, Moritz draws people to him. Sensing something therapeutic about Moritz, Barry comes upon a way to share this quality with others. So begins their partnership for weekly volunteer visits at a local hospital.

Animal Assisted Therapy In Counseling (June 2005) 
Written by Cynthia K. Chandler. This book delineates Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) counseling techniques. Supported by case examples, the book explains how to select, train and evaluate an animal for therapy work. The book examines ethical considerations and risk management, provides a history of AAT, and discusses the latest empirical research in the field. The author also includes guidelines for establishing a university-based program for AAT training. Sample forms to be used in screening clients and recording session data are included as well as a series of separate illustrations (line drawings of animals) to facilitate some of the recommended AAT techniques. This book is designed for use in training courses for AAT in counseling and related programs (such as social work, psychology, and rehabilitation counseling). To date, there is no book dedicated to teaching techniques specific to AAT. This book will fill that need.

Pet Assisted Therapy: A Loving Intervention and an Emerging Profession Leading to a Friendlier, Healthier, and More Peaceful World (2001)
Written by Pearl Salotto. Pet Assisted Therapy (PAT) features both basic information on PAT and detailed explanations of its effectiveness with children, individuals who are elderly, and those dealing with physical and mental challenges. This invaluable resource provides the reader with a thorough overview of PAT including instruction, guidelines, ethical standards, descriptions of field experiences and discussions of the issues critical to the development and advancement of PAT in the health care, education, social service, and criminal justice arenas.

You Have A Visitor: Observations on Pet Visitation and Therapy (2000)
Written by Renee Lamm Esordi, with foreword by Alan M. Beck. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has become an accepted form of augmenting the healing processes that occur within the walls of healthcare facilities. The same joy and comfort animals provide at home can also benefit the eager patient or resident who awaits a visit from a volunteer and their pet. Photographer Renee Lamm Esordi accompanied volunteers and their pets on visits to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, a youth camp, and special functions. She talked with healthcare staff, volunteers of various organizations, and many others about their experiences with these special visits. She witnessed and recorded the joyous responses of patients and residents who look forward to the companionship and conversation the visits provide. Her documentation of these interactions illustrate the pleasure people can derive from the simple presence of animals. These photographs tell a story not only of alternative methods of healing but also of compassion, unconditional love, and comfort that these visitors can bring.

Companion Animals in Human Health (1997)
Written by Cindy C. Wilson and Dennis C. Turner (Editors). Explores how animals affect the physical, mental, emotional, social, functional, and general health and well-being of their human companions. Overviews the history and values of interactions between humans and animals, develop a conceptual framework for research, explore the psychosocial and physiological impact, and address the role of companion animals in human development and the training and welfare of animals in therapeutic programs. The 17 papers are from the Seventh International Conference on Animals, Health, and Quality of Life. The articles address human animal interaction (HAI) according to the elements that define quality of life: physical, emotional, and social health; functional health; and general well-being. As a state-of-the-science document, Companion Animals in Human Health is must reading for all health and social science professionals caring for clients who already have companion animals or for clients who might benefit from such interaction and thus will be of interest to those in the fields of clinical psychology, cognition, developmental psychology, family studies, gerontology, nursing, patient care, psychology, public health, and sociology.

Creature Comfort: Animals That Heal (2000)
Written by Bernie Graham. This is a timely and valuable introduction to Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), a scientific and medical discipline still in its infancy-and one that should be particularly appealing to many teens as a possible career direction. Graham tells plenty of fascinating stories (illustrated with black-and-white photos) as he relates his own experiences and those of others working with diverse creatures such as dolphins, cats, dogs, donkeys, monkeys, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, and horses. Those benefiting from AAT include mentally or physically disabled children and adults in private programs or in institutional settings such as hospitals, clinics, and prisons, in the U.S., Great Britain, and Europe.

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