Optimizing Therapy Dog-Handler Team Welfare: A Guide for Researchers and Practitioners

Informed by research and grounded in critical discussions of theory and practice, Optimizing Therapy Dog-Handler Team Welfare challenges readers to explore the complexities inherent in, and arising from, practices that optimize welfare for therapy dog-handler teams.

Each chapter begins with a case study that elucidates the complexities of canine-assisted interventions and invites readers to consider welfare from multiple perspectives. This book positions welfare as a factor impacting both the therapy dog and the handler, considering the dog handler as a cohesive team.

Researchers, educators, and practitioners from across disciplines will find this book both scientifically savvy and practical.

John-Tyler Binfet, PhD, is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus.

Christine Yvette Tardif-Williams, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at Brock University.