Well corgis are adorable. I have border terriers and with enough training they could be good therapy dogs. Years ago I had a cairn terrier that was an excellent therapy dog. But it was her innate personality that made her that way. Golden's are good and yet I have seen a few nasty ones. All in all a good temperament and good heath are whats most important.

As for why a wls patient needs a therapy dog, it has a calming effect on people as they talk and might be good for those struggling with mobility. Otherwise , seems like the best therapy dog for an obese person would be one that needs to be walked and walked and gets the obese person moving. REGAP greyhounds are great but they have to be taught about windows and stairs and mirrors and such.

Though I have never had one, A french bulldog seems like a good bet. Diane S

I am perplexed and not certain why your looking for a therapy/service dog at all?! I am not being sarcastic but I think of therapy/service dogs as crucial for the blind, disabled and maybe for psychological reasons PTSD, for instance. I am not looking to be controversial but give me a reason why your chosen corgi or lab or any of the other fine animals out there would be of help to you? What is so difficult for you? These service dogs take many years to train by a professional service dog trainer....

Just wondering? Some cats can be soothing or even a rabbit....

Good luck,

alese inFL

Actually, therapy dogs are different than service dogs. They are trained to work with people with mental illness. Many of the people I treat have eating disorders which are frequently caused by trauma - for PTSD and trauma, therapy dogs are wonderful.

And I am familiar with traditional service dogs too, as well as The Seeing Eye (where most dogs for the blond come from). Therapy dogs have less strict training.

As for cats and a rabbit, more people are allergic to cats and rabbits than dogs. They are also not trainable in the same way.

Note: I am an actual therapist :P

Was that typo Freudian slip??

Sorry I realize that this is a serious forum but, being a blonde, I couldn't resist

Haha, I totally didn't mean it! I am actually rather blonde-ish now myself so that is funny

She wants one to provide comfort for her clients in her practice. Not necessarily for herself personally. I'm a psychiatric NP and I often recommend emotional support animals for my clients. It is very therapeutic. My previous service dog of 11 years not only took good care of me, but was of great comfort and emotional support to many of my clients over her years with me. They are invaluable.

>> What is so difficult for you?

FYI, it's not really kosher to ask someone why he/she needs their service animal. Can't remember the specifics from the ADA, but if anybody knows I'd appreciate the info.

Service animals have federal law governing them, while emotional support animals are protected by state laws. Here is the federal law.

??? I must have missed something between my post about Lucie and this one...

My therapist's office has a therapy dog that you can book with appointments. Pretty funny that the dog has a schedule just like a therapist. Not sure if there's an upcharge for that!

So these are my thoughts having seen a therapy dog in action. People who want a therapy dog present are probably people who love dogs - so they don't care what breed it is. They're dog lovers. They'll love the dog regardless of breed. :)

So what actually matters is the dog's temperament. While some breeds are predisposed to certain temperaments, you will never know for sure what your dog's specific temperament is until you have the dog. Or have information on the dog prior to acquisition.

Because of that, I also recommend a shelter dog or a rescue. Chances are the people who have been caring for the dog (the shelter or the foster family) will have good information on the specific dog's temperament and that's the important thing. :)