Therapy Dog Talk

Heather and her Golden Retriever, Dolly, join forces to inspire a love for reading, creating bookworms one child at a time. In this 79th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Heather and her Golden Retriever, Dolly, about their inspiring work in creating bookworms by combining Heather’s passion for education with Dolly’s natural bond with children. Heather shares her journey as an educator and...

What better way to celebrate National Beagle Day than with Cheyanne and her Therapy Dogs Mardi and Tiana? In this bonus episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I celebrate National Beagle Day with Cheyanne and her two therapy beagles , Mardi and Tiana. We chat about their journey, from Mardi’s transformation from rescue dog to therapy dog, to Tiana’s work with HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response. In this e...

Miranda has many goals and one of them is starting a Therapy Dog program at the rural Alaska Native Hospital. In this 78th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Miranda and her two Brittany Spaniels, Arya and Mazy , about their inspiring work with Indigenous Peoples in rural Alaska. We discuss Miranda’s passion for sharing her therapy dogs and her goal to start a Therapy Dog program at the Ala...

Cara is creating social emotional learning curriculum inspired by her experiences volunteering with her dog Little Dude. In this 77th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Cara Zelas and her charming Shih Tzu Bichon Poodle mix, Little Dude, about their inspiring work in social-emotional learning and therapy dog support. We discuss how Little Dude’s big personality led Cara to become a therapy...

Tamara and Ginger are a Certified Therapy Dog team with big plans to increase representation in Speech Language Pathology. In this 76th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Tamara Stroble and her Goldendoodle, Ginger , about their adventure as a Certified Therapy Dog team and her plans to bring animal-assisted therapy into her speech-language pathology work. In this episode, we discuss … How...

Heather and her Labradors Sailor and Harbor are mentoring new Love on a Leash pet therapy teams during supervised visits. In this 75th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Heather and her two Black Labradors, Sailor and Harbor. We talk about their experiences as therapy dogs with Love on a Leash , and how they help new pet therapy teams learn the ropes during supervised visits. We also share...

Salina and her Therapy Dog Jedi the Shih Tzu enjoyed bringing joy to foster youth in New York. In this 74th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I sit down with Salina and her lovable Shih Tzu, Jedi , to talk about their heartwarming volunteer work with The Good Dog Foundation in New York. We especially focus on their favorite experiences working with foster youth. In this episode, we discuss … How Salin...

Parnita and her Therapy Dog Leo are reaching children they visit with their own series of Children's books featuring Leo. In this 73rd episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I talk with Parnita Senjit about her wonderful therapy dog, Leo . We explore their incredible volunteer work through The Dog Alliance in Texas and Pets As Therapy in the UK , as well as their unique way of connecting with children thro...

Steph and her Whoodle Bruce are working as a School Therapy Dog team and helping other teachers to do the same. In this 72nd episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Steph Kallas and her wonderful Whoodle, Bruce , about their inspiring work as a school therapy dog team working in Animal Assisted Education . We dive into how they help children who find it difficult to trust adults, and how this pa...

Surf Dog Ricochet has charted her own course of Canine Assisted Surf Therapy in San Diego, California. In this 71st episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Judy Fridono and her remarkable 15-year-old Golden Retriever, Ricochet, famously known as Surf Dog Ricochet . Together, they form an incredible Canine Assisted Surf Therapy team in San Diego, California. We discuss how Ricochet transitioned f...

Suzanne and her Therapy Dog Murphy comfort child victims in the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit. In this 70th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Suzanne Clouchete and her Goldendoodle, Murphy , about their work with child victims in the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit in Florida. As a certified team through Alliance of Therapy Dogs , they’re also pa...

For Brian, volunteering with his pup Magnus the Therapy Dog is a way to bring moments of normalcy to critically and terminally ill children. In this 69th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Brian Benson and his amazing Yellow Labrador, Magnus, known around the world as Magnus the Therapy Dog . We dive into their inspiring journey as a volunteer team with the Good Dog Foundation in New York,...

Katie has a lot to share about her experiences getting started as a Therapy Dog team with her Golden Retriever, Archer. In this 68th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Katie Baron and her dog, Archer , about being a Therapy Dog team in New Jersey with Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog . We talk about their visits to places like assisted living facilities, hospitals, libraries, and schools, a...

Tania enjoys giving back to her community by volunteering as a Therapy Dog team with her Golden Retriever, Molly Rose. In this 67th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with with Tania and her nine-year-old Golden Retriever, Molly Rose . Together, they form a heartwarming therapy dog team in Texas, volunteering through Paws for Therapy . We discuss their journey into therapy dog work, the importan...

Leslee has a lot to share when it comes from selecting and training a shelter dog to be a volunteer Therapy Dog. In this 66th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Leslee and her senior rescue dog, Buddy. We talk about how they started doing therapy dog work and how it has changed their lives. Through Alliance of Therapy Dogs , they’ve visited places like libraries, veterans’ homes, and blood...

Licensed Therapist Sarah Steelman plans to partner with her dog Sepi for Animal-Assisted Therapy in Las Vegas. In this 65th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Sarah Steelman, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a PhD in human development, and her Whoodle, Sepi . We discuss their plans for Animal-Assisted Therapy in Las Vegas and how Sarah intends to incorporate Sepi into her priva...

Dr. Laura Pedersen partners with her mini Aussie Jameson to implement Animal-Assisted Interventions in corrections. In this 64th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Dr. Laura Pedersen and her miniature Australian Shepherd, Jameson . We talk about their work with Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) in a place that helps people with mental health problems who have been in trouble with the law....

Mindy and her dogs Woody & Hayes founded a network of Zen Therapy Dogs to connect volunteers in Orlando. In this 63rd episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Mindy and her two hounds, Woody and Hayes. We talk about their volunteer work in Orlando, Florida, where they’ve worked with many organizations like Advent Health, Orlando International Airport’s Paw Pilots program, Give Kids the World,...

Sara and her Golden Retriever puppy Stevie are practicing for Therapy Dog work in assisted living facilities in Canada. In this 62nd episode of Therapy Dog Talk , chat with Sara and her Golden Retriever, Stevie, about their journey to become a therapy dog team and their experiences practicing in assisted living places in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Sara shares why she wanted to do therapy dog work wi...

Aakash Lonkar is growing Therapy Dog programs in Mumbai through the Animal Angels Foundation and shares what it takes. In this 61st episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Aakash Lonkar, a Director at Animal Angels Foundation . He manages operations and training for therapy dog programs in Mumbai. We talk about what it takes to be successful in this area. Aakash tells us how he started working w...

Mel shares their insights on growing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in Animal-Assisted Therapy. In this 60th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , with Mel Trueblood-Stimpson, who is a Scientist, Consultant, Charity Director, and Certified Animal-Assisted Therapy professional in Ohio. Mel works with animals and focuses on making things more equal for everyone in the world of science. They also w...

Dena and her tripod Therapy Dog, a Pitbull rescue she named Petey, are helping to teach acceptance. In this 59th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Dena and her inspiring Pitbull rescue named Petey , a tripod Therapy Dog who’s changing lives with his big heart. Together, they’ve completed over 300 therapy dog visits and earned Petey the AKC title of Therapy Dog Excellent . We discuss the im...

Finding the right fit as a Therapy Dog team can be challenging, but for Tara navigating that journey with Juno has been worth it. In this 58th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I talk with Tara Hoover and her 14-year-old Chocolate Labrador, Juno. They have been volunteering together in Pittsburgh for 10 years with Therapy Dogs International and Alliance of Therapy Dogs . We chat about finding the best...

Minal Kavishwar pioneers pet therapy and Animal-Assisted Counseling in India through the Animal Angels Foundation. In this 57th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I talk with Minal Kavishwar , the founder of Animal Angels Foundation , about her amazing work bringing pet therapy and Animal-Assisted Counseling to India. Minal tells how she created Animal Angels in 2003 and did the first research on anima...

Eva and Sandra are reaching children in India through their Therapy Dog initiative Woofers Snow and Sky. In this 56th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Eva Veroeveren, who co-founded Woofers Snow and Sky . We talk about her amazing work with therapy dogs in Ahmedabad, India. Our conversation focuses on how therapy dogs help kids and teach them to be mindful. In this episode, we discuss … H...