Therapy Dogs

Burch, Mary R. Volunteering With Your Pet: How to Get Involved in Animal-Assisted Therapy With Any Kind of Pet. New York: Howell-Macmillan, 1996.

Certified behavior analyst Burch is involved with therapy dogs and is active in the Delta Society. Rather than focusing on the training required for a therapy animal, she discusses the various types of animals which may be used, ranging from dogs to horses to gerbils. She also covers the various settings where therapy animals can be helpful, including nursing homes, schools, prisons, hospices, and courtrooms. Recommended.

Coudert, Jo. The Good Shepherd: A Special Dog's Gift of Healing. Kansas City, KS: Andrews McMeel, 1998.

Coudert has written a biography of a German Shepherd named Grizzly and his human family. Shortly after fifteen-year-old Jeremy is diagnosed with cancer, he is given the gift of Grizzly who helps him through his illness and death. After a period of time to allow grief to begin to heal, Grizzly and Lana (Jeremy's mother) begin visiting people in hospitals, schools, psychiatric settings, group homes, and more. Grizzly is a natural therapy dog, helping others to heal both mentally and physically.

Davis, Kathy Diamond. Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. New York: Howell, 1992.

Davis, a dog owner and active participant in dog therapy work, focuses on preparing and training dogs for therapy work. The training information would be useful for all dog owners, not just those in therapy programs. She also explores the benefits and drawbacks to group visits versus single dog visits. Highly recommended.

Palika, Liz. Love on a Leash: Choosing, Training, and Certifying a Therapy Dog. Loveland, CO: Alpine, 1996.

Palika focuses on the use of therapy dogs in nursing homes while also mentioning other uses. She describes the basic training required and various methods of certification. Anecdotal examples are spread throughout the book. An appendix discusses the possibility of having a therapy dog live full-time at a residential care center. Although useful, this title doesn't contain as much training information as does Therapy Dogs by Davis.