If you are looking for examples of just how special dogs are, you will find thirteen wonderful examples in this book. These dogs have a knack for calming people down and picking up on tension—sometimes even better than we do! Each story highlights the incredible bond between dogs and humans, showcasing their unique talents. But there's more to it than just heartwarming tales.When dogs get involved in caregiving, it opens up a lot of questions and challenges. Some of these are more straightforward, like what health benefits come from having a dog around or how effective other methods are without using a dog. At the same time, the mix of caregiver, dog, and client brings up important questions about how to do the right thing, treat both people and animals well and evaluate various options available. That’s where ethics come into play—the core theme of this collection of stories. We’re not here to tell you what’s right or wrong; instead, we want to spark conversations about these topics. Ethics can be quite personal, but that doesn’t mean you have to tackle these decisions alone. By sharing experiences and discussing challenges, we can support each other and make better choices together.This collection of stories is part of a bigger two-year project that looks at how animal-assisted interventions affect the well-being of dogs. The research comes from the Human-Animal Interactions research group at Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten, working alongside partners in the field, and was co-funded by the Regieorgaan SIA (Taskforce for Applied Research SIA), which is part of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). If you want to learn more about this research, check out the Human-Animal Interactions research group’s website.
