1st Edition
The Gifts We Receive from Animals Stories to Warm the Heart
The Gifts We Receive from Animals is a book guaranteed to brighten a reader’s day. Professionals engaged in therapy work as well as those who have companion animals at home will enjoy learning about the many ways in which animals impact people’s lives. Through a series of short, true-life stories, written by professionals engaged in animal assisted interventions, The Gifts We Receive from Animals reminds readers of the core essence of the human animal bond and the reason behind the growing phenomenon of animal assisted interventions. Readers will learn, for example, about the young child who shares her inner most thoughts with a dog and, as a result, learns how to talk with people; the soldier who feels comfortable and safe with a dog, a feeling he has been lacking since active duty; and the elderly adult who works through difficult physical therapy because of his therapy dog. The Gifts We Receive from Animals takes readers on a delightful journey, offering insights into the unique impact animals have in the lives of those they help.
Part 1. Large Animals
1. Freedom
Hilary Adams
2. A Children's Riding Lesson: How Therapautric Riding Helped a Boy to Find His Voice
Anne M. C. Barnfield
3. The Sundance Center
Erica Jex Gergely
4. My Mare, My Meditation Teacher
Emily Knitter
5. Savannah and the Cowgirl Ms. B
Arieahn Matamonasa Bennett
6. The Farm Was My Sun
Carol Rathmann and Sabrina Schmidt
7. When the Cutre Factor Becomes Something More: How a Mini Donkey Taught Me the Power of the Human-Animal Bond
Christina Moore
8. Meet Roger, the Blind Sheep Helping Children Heal
Brenda Rynders
Part 2. Small Animals
9. Guinea Pigs Are Great!
Patti Anderson
10. The Bunnies Are In
Jennifer A. Coleman
11. Wait—My Therapy Animal Is a…Rat?
Angela K. Fournier
12. A Crystallized Connection
Julie Ann Nettifee
13. Sullivan Anne: From Abandoned Rabbit to Beloved Campus Pet Therapy Animal
Clarissa M. Palmer
14. Can I take Chophie Home? The Simple Joys of Having Animal Co-Therapists
Georgitta Valiyamattam
15. The Rabbit Who Knew No Rules
Patti Anderson
16. Who Are You?
Niki Vettel
Part 3. Crisis
17. Boston in Coal City
Julie Bereckis
18. HOPE AACR Responds to Devastating Mudslide
Bette Caldwell
19. Providing Comfort to Flood Victims of Rural West Virginia
Sheila Consaul
20. Magical Moments with Maggie
Yvonne Eaton-Stull
21. Can Dogs Sense Stress?
Sue Herman
22. Challenging the Assumption of Who Needs Help
Batya G. Jaffe
23. The Washington Navy Yard
Ned W. Polan
24. The Dog That Brought Hope and Brightness to a Challenging Christmas Season
Yahaira Segarra-González
25. Sometimes Silver Linings Have Tails: Sandy Hook
Heather White
Part 4: Unique Settings
26. Assessment and Therapeutic Advancement Through Human-Animal Interactions
Eileen Bona
27. Charley the Bulldog and Her Visits with Incarcerated Youth
Taylor Chastain Griffin
28. Jude and Letty
Sarah Deering
29. The Life of a Strong and Caring Therapy Dog in the Canadian Prairies
Colleen Anne Dell
30. Animal Therapy in a Hospice Setting
Caryn Friedlander
31. In Sickness and in Health: What Dogs Teach Us About Life and Death
Rachel Hogg
32. "Steven" and Shannon
Amy Johnson and Melissa Potts Kutchek
33. Comfort During Crisis
Angela Moe
34. Regaining Memories with the Help of Jaime
Anna K.E. Schneider
Part 5. Children, Young Adults and College Students
35. The Gift of Comfort
Sue Burlatschenko
36. Beignet and the Class of 2021
Kate Drescher
37. Teletherapy Dogs
Adam Duberstein
38. The Power of Prince William
Patricia Flaherty-Fischette
39. Mickey Mouse and Lyn
Tara Harevey-Gros
40. Compassion Through Canines: A Boy and a Dog
Laura Hey and Mary Jo Powers
41. I Can Listen Like Indy
Terri, Copper and Shay Hlava
42. Aksel to the Rescue
Elizabeth A. Letson
43. Gentle Giant and an Anxious Teen
Jane Jenkins
44. Therapy Dogs Help Adoption Succeed
Gary P. Cournoyer
45. Leo Awakens to the World
Shira Smilovici
Part 6. Adults
46. Jaeger's Gifts
Shannan Anderson
47. The Whirlwind That Chamged My Life...
Ursula Aragunde-Kohl
48. My Therapy Dogs Saved My Life
Megan C. W. Bridges
49. Miss Emmie: A Big 'Braveheart' in a Tiny Package
Donna Clarke
50. Being and Becoming: The Transformative Power and Resilience of Person-Canine Bonds
Cassandra Hanrahan
51. Pinella's Purpose
Tiana Kelly
52. A Golden Tail of Inter-Generational Bonds
Jean Kirnan and Patrick Kirnan
53. You Are Here
Elizabeth Lynch
54. Humanimal Connection in the Counseling Room: Where Lester the Dachshund Partner Weaves an Interspecies Bond
Emmanuelle Fournier Chouinard
Biography
Lori R. Kogan, PhD, is a professor of clinical sciences at Colorado State University. She has published numerous journal articles and edited several books related to human-animal interactions.
