Author Talk: Ann Howie “Teaming with Your Therapy Dog”

Author and mental health counselor Ann R. Howie will discuss her new book, “Teaming with Your Therapy Dog: New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond “.

Today’s therapy-dog handlers recognize the need to be teammates with their dogs. Teaming with one’s dog involves unobtrusively providing physical and emotional support as well as respectful guidance in what to do. Being a teammate requires attention to our own behavior, not just our dog’s. This book reminds all handlers that being conscious of what we do with our dogs helps them do their best work, and also can increase the effectiveness of our visits.

“Teaming with Your Therapy Dog” teaches the STEPs of Teamwork and how those STEPs fit with the Therapy Dog’s Bill of Rights. These general principles free handlers to apply them in their own way to their therapy dog’s individual personality and work, and to everyday life at home!

Ann R. Howie began integrating animals into her counseling practice in 1987. Combining her master’s degree with a national certificate in canine learning and training, Howie is uniquely qualified to work with both people and animals, specializing in animal-assisted therapy and therapy dog training.