Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others

Library Journal

People often volunteer their dogs to help the elderly, ill, or disabled, but few books cover such "animal-assisted activities." While not the definitive manual on training one's dog, this book, first published in 1982 and based on the author's personal experience, gives a good overview. The new edition includes a definition of therapy dog, a list of the major therapy dog organizations, an annotated bibliography of useful dog behavior and training books and web sites, and an index. Small public libraries that can afford only one book on the subject should purchase Mary R. Burch's Volunteering with Your Pet. Burch's book covers animals besides dogs and goes into more detail about the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, the basic certification on which most therapy dog registries base their programs. Larger public libraries should have both.-Karen Fischer, Carleton Coll. Lib., Northfield, MN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.