Book by Wheeler, Ph.D Patricia H. SUCCESSFUL TAILS THE WONDERS OF THERAPY DOGS By PATRICIA H. WHEELER AuthorHouse Copyright © 2012 Patricia H. Wheeler, PhD All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4772-6474-4 Contents FOREWORD........................................................................................ixPREFACE.........................................................................................xiACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................xiiiChapter 1~Introduction..........................................................................1Chapter 2~Camp Arroyo Programs..................................................................11Chapter 3~Community Assistance for Retarded and Handicapped.....................................22Chapter 4~Easy Living Care Home.................................................................27Chapter 5~The friendship Center.................................................................40Chapter 6~Library Programs......................................................................46Chapter 7~Livermore Manor.......................................................................90Chapter 8~Merrill Gardens.......................................................................99Chapter 9~Military and Veteran Events...........................................................105Chapter 10~The Parkview.........................................................................128Chapter 11~School Programs......................................................................140Chapter 12~Shepherd's Gate......................................................................158Chapter 13~Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System Livermore Division.....................168Chapter 14~Other Sites, Programs, and Events....................................................284Appendix A~Valley Humane Society................................................................301Appendix B~Dog Bios.............................................................................303Appendix C~Handler Bios.........................................................................333Appendix D~Acronyms.............................................................................355Appendix E~Suggested Readings...................................................................357 Chapter One introduction Therapy dogs are one of many types of working dogs. They are selected and trained, with their handler, to serve people of all ages and conditions, and, sometimes, to work with professional staff to help people achieve physical, emotional, social, and cognitive goals and objectives. Therapy dogs are recognized as working dogs. The United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a series of stamps in 2012 honoring four types of "Dogs at Work"—guide dog, tracking dog, rescue dog, and therapy dog. The American Kennel Club (AKC) Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence recognizes five categories of working dogs—law enforcement, search and rescue, therapy, service, and exemplary companion dogs. The military is providing therapy dogs for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to help them cope with the on-going stressful conditions. Therapy Dogs International (TDI) has provided therapy dogs for several disastrous events. Called Disaster Stress Relief (DSR) teams, these therapy dog and handler teams were at the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9-11 World Trade Center attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and other disasters. For more information, see http://www.tdi-dog. org/OurPrograms.aspx?Page=DSR+%28Disaster+Stress+Relief%29. Therapy dogs are often confused with service dogs and companion dogs. Service dogs are trained to work with one individual, usually one with a physical disability. Service dogs are permitted, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (www.ada.gov/), to go wherever the persons they are working for can go. This includes restaurants, theaters, stores, buses, and airplanes. They are considered a type of durable medical equipment, just like a wheelchair. Service dogs go through months of extensive training by professional instructors and are certified by various agencies throughout the country such as Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) in Santa Rosa (www.cci. org/). Most service dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds because of their size, strength, temperament, and ability to learn quickly. Smaller dogs and mixed breeds are used for some types of service dogs (e.g., medical response dogs) and as other types of assistance dogs (e.g., hearing assistance dogs). At times, companion dogs are recommended by professional health staff for persons suffering from emotional disorders such as depression and social isolation. The dog is usually the pet for that individual. However, companion dogs do not have the freedom to go wherever that individual goes, and they may or may not receive