My book. Therapy Dog Violet, my writing companion.

Many of my readers know that I have been visiting with therapy dogs for over twenty years here in western Massachusetts.  To date, seven of my own dogs have been therapy dogs and together we have made over 30,000 visits.  My dogs have been in both healthcare and educational facilities visiting patients and residents in hospitals, assisted living facilities, in psychiatric facilities, Alzheimer’s units, hospice care, and working with children in public schools and libraries.  In 1992, I witnessed my first magical miracle seeing firsthand just how powerful the human-canine bond can be.  Since then, I have watched my therapy dogs bringing comfort and caring to the distraught, the dying, and the lonely.  I have seen their presence relieve the stress of a family member caring for her ailing mother or the anxiety of a youngster learning to read.  It is my privilege to be at the other end of the leash bearing witness to the bonds that heal.

In June 2011, I started writing my book about my experiences working with therapy dogs.  In it, I aim to describe the poignant moments these special dogs share with those they visit.  I hope to paint in words a window into the world of animal assisted therapy by having the reader follow Beatrice, my first therapy dog, then Trudi, Phoebe, Julia, James, Lily, and Violet as they enter the lives of humans in need.  For those who have dogs themselves, I hope my book will inspire them to become involve with therapy dog visiting.  For those who have a family member stricken with Alzheimer’s disease or other affliction, I hope they will see through the stories I tell, the impact dogs can have on those dealing with illness.  For healthcare workers and educators, I hope they will see that dogs can be a powerful force in improving the lives of those they visit.

While I write, my dogs provide me with companionship and inspiration.  Lily often sits behind me on my chair with her head leaning on my shoulder.  Annabelle lies right at by my feet, as does James.  Violet, like Lily, has to be very close.  She lies right on top of my feet.  Although I do a lot of my writing at home, I am most productive writing in the library.  On Wednesdays and most Saturdays, I write at Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts, in the company of other writers in The Writing Room, facilitated by novelist Susan Stinson.  Every Tuesday morning, I write at the Westhampton Public Library in my hometown.  It is there that Violet, my newest therapy dog, joins me as my writing companion.  Violet shows promise of being an excellent hospice volunteer.  By lying at my feet for hours at a time in a small room at the library, she demonstrates her ability to lie alongside a gravely ill person, her soft body bringing warmth and comfort.  She does that so well for me as I write.  My book is a long way from being finished.  Last May, I completed the first draft and have commenced the task of revising my manuscript to create a book that truly captures the meaningful work that therapy dogs do for others.  It’s a story that wants to be told.