Therapy Dog Talk

Charlene never runs out of projects but her favorite one is volunteering as a Therapy Dog team with her Great Dane, Grey. In this 30th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Charlene Potts and her Great Dane named Grey about their work as a therapy dog team with Alliance of Therapy Dogs . Charlene tells me how she fell in love with Great Danes and her dream of becoming a therapy dog team. She s...

A career changed Guide Dog can often thrive as a Therapy Dog and puppy raiser Hallie’s journey with Buddy is a great example. In this 29th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Hallie and her friendly Golden Retriever, Buddy . We talk about their journey from training Buddy to be a Guide Dog to working as an Animal Assisted Therapy Dog . We discuss the ups and downs of working with therapy dog...

Different breeds bring their own unique challenges but Cheyanne is up for the task with her Therapy Beagle, Tiana. In this 28th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I’m joined by Cheyanne and her Therapy Beagle, Tiana who volunteer through Alliance of Therapy Dogs . We learn about their adventures and the special challenges they face, and solutions they’ve found, working with a hound breed in therapy set...

National Therapy Animal Day takes place every year on April 30. Pet Partners shares how you can get involved. In this bonus episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I sat down with Elisabeth Van Every, Senior Communications Specialist and Managing Editor of Pet Partners , for a conversation about National Therapy Animal Day and how you can join in the celebration. Pet Partners founded National Therapy Animal...

Have you ever wondered what it's like for an Assistance Dog to volunteer as a Therapy Animal? In this 27th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I sat down with Evelyn and her charming Cavalier, Indie , about their incredible journey as an Assistance Dog and Therapy Dog team. We explore their experiences volunteering with Story Dog Australia and their plans for the future with Pets as Therapy in London. I...

Kristin has big plans for Animal Assisted Occupational Therapy with her rescue dog Winston. In this 26th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I sat down with Kristin and her Aussie Coonhound, Winston , about their exciting journey into Animal Assisted Occupational Therapy . We’re also joined by Elise, a Tester/Observer for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) , and our pups Sunny and Moosh. In this episode...

Did you know Therapy Dog organizations have Junior Handlers and that their requirements differ from adults? In this 25th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Katelyn , a Junior Handler, and her therapy dog named Ace. Katelyn shared her experience as a Junior Handler for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) , and what it takes to transition from a Junior Handler to an Adult Handler. We also talk...

Whoever said you cant teach an adult Labrador new tricks has not met Tori and her pups Lucy and Burt. In this 24th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Tori Mistick and her two senior Chocolate Labradors, Lucy and Bruce, about their incredible journey of certifying Lucy as a Therapy Dog at age 6. Tori, who runs the blog Wear Wag Repeat , shares her experiences and adventures with her dogs, pr...

Ready to hear how a reactive dog let his person know that he didn’t want to be a Therapy Dog? If so, then this is definitely the episode for you. In this 23rd episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I have an insightful conversation with Jess Adams, a mental health therapist and reactive dog coach, and her rescue dog, Dio. We discuss their incredible journey to Animal Assisted Therapy and how Dio’s reactive...

What if I told you that a Husky and her human are on a mission to pioneer Therapy Dog work in Korea? If that sounds intriguing, then this is definitely the episode for you. In this 22nd episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Jeena (aka “Clinger”) and her Unimpressed Husky, Juno, about their inspiring journey to pioneer Therapy Dog work in Korea. Their story began with rescuing Juno just before...

Curious why a future Therapy Dog in Seattle first focused on becoming a skateboarder and certified Trick Dog? In this 21st episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Hailey and her rescue dog, Darrel, as they work towards becoming a certified therapy dog team in Seattle. We dive into their unique journey, where they first focused on trick training and skateboarding before moving on to therapy dog t...

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a Children’s hospital Therapy Dog team and a Pet Partners evaluator? If so, then this is definitely the episode for you. In this 20th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Michelle and her nine-year-old Golden Retriever, Buffy , about their incredible journey as a Children’s hospital Therapy Dog team since 2014 and Michelle’s experiences as a Pet Par...

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to become a new Therapy Dog evaluator for an organization? In this 19th episode of Therapy Dog Talk, I chat with Elise and her senior Australian Shepherd, Moosh , about their journey as a therapy dog team and Elise’s recent role as a Tester/Observer for Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) . Elise found our podcast and suggested having an evaluator on the sho...

Thea is training her Standard Poodle Bentley to partner with her in Animal-Assisted Therapy as a future Social Work dog. In this 18th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I talk with Thea about her journey with her Standard Poodle, Bentley , as they work towards making him a Social Work dog for Animal-Assisted Therapy . Thea tells me how she found out about therapy dogs and her goal to include Bentley in...

Casie and her German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) Kimbee enjoy volunteering on the Orlando Airport Therapy Dog team. In this 17th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Casie and her German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs), Kimbee and Kenobi , about their experiences as therapy dogs. Casie explains that she began training her dogs for therapy work after losing her sister and has volunteered with them i...

Lori enjoys volunteering in Southern California with her two Therapy Dog Dachshunds Luna and Comet. In this 16th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Lori and her lovable Dachshunds, Luna and Comet . They tell us about their fun experiences volunteering as a therapy dog team in Southern California. Lori explains how she signed up Luna and Comet with different therapy dog groups, Pet Partners...

Melissa and her Golden Retriever Rainbow share their excitement about becoming a new Dallas Therapy Dog team. In this 15th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I meet Melissa and her friendly Golden Retriever, Rainbow , as they tell us about their journey to become a new Dallas Therapy Dog team. We talk about their hopes to volunteer in schools and how important it is to find a good place for both the pe...

Susan and her little dog Ace enjoy volunteering together in hospitals and as a college campus Therapy Dog team. In this 14th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Susan and her adorable little dog, Ace , about their amazing journey as a college campus therapy dog team. From hospitals to universities, this fantastic duo brings happiness and comfort to everyone they meet. In this episode, we dis...

Music teacher Chris Hannah and his Pitbull Cole the Deaf Dog are teaching acceptance as a Therapy Animal team in New Jersey. In this 13th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I’m joined by Chris Hannah, a music teacher in New Jersey, and his incredible deaf Pitbull, Cole . Together, they focuse on teaching acceptance and promoting inclusion in their community through therapy animal work with Bright and B...

Merin combines her love of traveling with volunteering as a Los Angeles Airport Therapy Dog team with her Poodle Dazu. In this 12th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Merin and her Standard Poodle, Dazu , as we discuss their journey to volunteering at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the PUPs program through Alliance of Therapy Dogs . We dive into their unique experiences an...

Jennie has big plans to partner with her Labradoodle Harvey in her professional work as an Occupational Therapy Dog team. In this 11th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Jennie, an occupational therapist, and her Labradoodle Harvey , who volunteer together as a therapy dog team through Love on a Leash . We explore how Jennie discovered therapy dogs and their recent accomplishment with the #...

Jackie practices self-care when volunteering as a first responder therapy dog team with her Labradoodle Mango. In this 10th episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Jackie Bryla and her amazing Labradoodle therapy dogs, Mango and Savanna . We dive into their unique experiences in therapy dog work in Northern California and their recent certification with First Responder Therapy Dogs . In this epi...

Exploring the challenges of Therapy Dog testing after lockdown with Nilda and her Miniature Poodle, Mylo. In this ninth episode of Therapy Dog Talk , I chat with Nilda and her miniature poodle, Mylo , about their inspiring journey as a therapy dog team in San Francisco. We discuss how they got started, their volunteering experiences, and the challenges they faced after the lockdown. In this episod...

Erica and Charlie learned valuable insights on their unexpected journey from shelter dog to School Therapy Dog. In this eighth episode of Therapy Dog Talk , join me as I chat with Erica and her incredible rescue dog, Charlie, about their inspiring journey from shelter dog to school therapy dog . We dive into the ups and downs of their training and discuss the impact of therapy dogs in a school set...

Donna and her Australian Labradoodle Zoe are making the transition from Therapy Dog to Service Dog. In this seventh episode of Therapy Dog Talk, I’m joined by Donna and her two Australian Labradoodles, Madison and Zoe . Madison is 15 years old, and Zoe is three years old and a certified therapy dog. Donna is a nurse with 33 years of experience and two grown daughters. In this episode, we discuss …...