A Pack of Therapy Dogs
Helping People One Wag at a Time
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Therapy dogs can come in all sizes, extra large to super small. Some are short, others very tall; some have long tails, some have none at all. Just like with people, we all look distinct. We have our own gifts, and these make us unique. Therapy dogs work in a whole bunch of settings. We must have good manners and go through much vetting. We work to provide the most comfort and aid, And our humans help us to be the best in our trade. We must be ready to handle all sorts of matters. Like if there's loud sirens, we can't simply scatter! We must be outgoing and enjoy meeting people, To our unconditional love, there is no equal. We like when people are happy and get concerned when they're not. We'll gently nudge them and ask for pets, without a second thought. Whether a school, library, nursing home, or hospital, A therapy dog's job is to support as many folks as possible!
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About the Book
Angela Moe is a Professor of Sociology, Instructor in the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs, and Founding Director of the Therapy Dog Clinic at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is the proud "mom" and handler for Sunny, Oreo, and Poppy. Aaron Abla is an independent insurance agent specializing in health and life insurance and retirement planning. He is an avid animal and nature lover and a very proud "dad" to the therapy pack.
About the Author
Angela (Angie) Moe, PhD, is a professor of sociology at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, MI, USA. Her research, teaching, and community work focuses on interpersonal victimization, particularly within intimate relationships and families. She resides just west of Kalamazoo with her spouse, Aaron, two daughters, the three dogs, a house bunny, lizard, snake, and a flock of backyard chickens. She adopted Sunny the Therapy Dog as a puppy in 2016 with the hope of working with crime victims within and outside of the legal system. They became a registered therapy dog team in 2017 through Pet Partners, and in 2019 with Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Also in 2019, the two became certified in crisis response through HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response. In this capacity, the two have deployed nationally to scenes of crisis and disaster. Oreo the Therapy Dog joined these efforts in 2019, after being gifted to Moe's family for the purposes of working as a therapy dog. He registered as a therapy dog in 2020 through Alliance of Therapy Dogs and joined HOPE AACR in 2021. Poppy rounded out the pack in 2022 after needing to be rehomed. She is a younger biological sibling of Oreo. After training with Angie for six months, Poppy registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs and is hoping to join HOPE AACR next year. Angie, along with her dogs, have logged thousands of hours in a variety of settings, however they still focus on those who have been victimized (along with supporting the folks who help them). In 2022, Angie founded and became the director of the Therapy Dog Clinic at WMU, which focuses on facilitating high quality animal-assisted interventions throughout the community. The majority of their work in with young survivors of childhood trauma, aiding in their developmental assessments through the Southwest Michigan Child Trauma Assessment Center (CTAC) and Resiliency Center for Families and Children (RCFC). The Resilience Center for Families and Children sponsored this book project and it is in the name of the children served through the Center that this book is devoted.