Clearly a Controversial Topic

I had a dalmation for 18 years. Spot was the smartest, sweetest dog I've ever owned. My neighbors had a special needs son that was afraid of all dogs except Spot. Spot instinctively knew what to do to approach him and she actuallly helped him stand and learn how to walk. He was 8 years old and never walked until Spot helped him. She had no formal training, she just knew what to do. His doctor actually came over to the house to see what Spot did, because his Doctor had told my neighbors that their son would never learn how to walk and would always need a wheelchair. The Doctor was amazed and offered to buy Spot, but she was family. The day she died was one of the saddest days of my life. I still miss her and wish she was here.

A gooden doodle would be a perfect therapy dog. We've thought about training ours as a therapy dog because people are always drawn to him and he loves people and other dogs. We have a miniature golden doodle and he is about 25 pounds. The standards can get 60-80 pounds and stand pretty tall. The golden retriever personality balances out the poodle in them for a great temperment. They don't shed and are hypoallergenic, but they do need groomed. Good luck on your search!

Oh man, what a loaded question!

Greyhounds make amazing therapy dogs. My BIL and SIL have two rescued ex-racers, and one (Izzy) does therapy-dog work with children. When we visited a few months back, Izzy was totally happy to let my toddler crawl all over her, play with her ears, and generally get up in her business, and Izzy was TOTALLY chill. They're absolute couch potato dogs!

Goldens are great as well. My brother and his wife have a beautiful PB golden named Emma, and she is hands-down the smartest dog I've ever seen. They started her in puppy school early, on the advice of SIL's aunt who trains seeing-eye dogs, and she was an absolute natural. Plus she's just so big and cuddly and fuzzy that you can't help but love her!

As far as corgis go, I would be a bit concerned about their natural attitude. I've spent quite a bit of time with corgis (and I own an "alternative corgi") and they tend to be a bit on the sassy and stubborn side. That's why we love them, of course, but it does make them a touch harder to train. Stubbornness does them well in herding, but it might be why they're more rare to see as assistance dogs.

In the "what dogs are awesome" list, I'm partial to my shelter doggies, the alternative-corgi and shepherd-mix. But my next dog will either be a Frenchie or a shiba inu, both of which are absolutely adorable and I love them to pieces :)

My vote is for a shelter dog. As cute & nice as all those other dogs are, I'd rather pet a regular dog that has been rescued from a pound rather than a specialty dog that might have come from a puppy mill.

Just curious, Why do WLS patients need a therapy dog ? Well, I guess they do motivate you to go for walks. I have a half yorkie/ half pomeranian, she looks like a teddy bear

OMG I need a picture! I used to have a pom, they're soooooo adorable!

Well, most patients see me due to distress or lifestyle change. Most WLS patients don't do therapy, necessarily, anyway. My specialty is actually eating disorders. Originally I started out with a focus on human sexuality, but that's a tangent...

Anyway, rarely do we go for walks with therapy dogs. Their presence is very calming, though, even if someone doesn't want to pet them. They can greatly lower someone's heart rate. Often, they also make it more comfortable and easier to talk, too, since there's a dog to focus on. I was dubious myself, however they are huge in treating a wide variety of things.

This is like asking us to pick a favorite child. It's just impossible.

Pugs are lovely and generally adore people. They are portable and gentle. The only drawback is that they shed--a lot.

I met a wonderful beagle at LAX who was there to calm nervous fliers. Flying doesn't bother me, but I had to go pet her because I love dogs.

All the dogs mentioned are terrific.

ETA: one of the hospitals I used to work near had Clifford, the Big, Red Therapy Dog. He was a standard poodle.

My vote would be for Newfoundlands. Their nature is super mellow. They are content to hold down uppity rugs for hours. But they also love long walks in all kinds of weather. They have natural snow shoes for snow, and a double coat for rainy days. They are great with children gently herding them away from issues. They can tow carts. They are natural swimmers.

Besides think of all the stretching you will get when combing them out! They are tall enough to nuzzle you out of bed with out having to climb on to the bed. If you want them to sleep on the bed with you, you will have to loose ALL the weight, because when a dog weights between 145 and 200 pounds, there isn't room for thier people to be heavy.

(I loved my 2 Newfs. But given I travel a lot, so having any dog would be unkind.)