Afternoons with Puppy: Inspirations from a Therapist and His Animals

by Aubrey H. Fine, Cynthia J. Eisen

Overview

Afternoons with Puppy is a heartwarming account of dynamic relationships and outcomes involving a therapist, his therapy animals, and his patients, gathered from almost two decades of ongoing practice. It is a narrative of Dr. Aubrey H. Fine's experiences and his growing respect for the power of the animals' effects on his patients and himself. Fine observes that healing is rarely, if ever, accomplished in isolation. There is always a reaching out and a connection at the heart of the therapeutic enterprise. Afternoons with Puppy reveals the ways in which people's bonds with animals centers their beings. Interacting with an animal, as simple as having a puppy in your lap gnawing on your thumb, strips away the unimportant and provides the neutral, primal ground on which healing and new growth can take place. Afternoons with Puppy is an emotional journey that will continue long after the last page.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557537669
Publisher:	Purdue University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2016
Series:	New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Aubrey H. Fine, a clinical psychologist and a professor at California State Polytechnic University, is an internationally renowned expert on animal-assisted therapy (AAT). He is the editor of the classic book on the subject, The Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy (first edition, 2000; second edition, 2006), and has published other works in the areas of parent/child relationships, learning/attention disorders, and sports psychology.

Cynthia J. Eisen teaches literature and mentors freshmen students at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. As a parent, she brings firsthand knowledge of the benefits of animal-assisted therapy for a child with learning disabilities.

Table of Contents

Foreword Marty Becker, DVM ix

Foreword by the Series Editors xi

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xxi

Discoveries 3

My Life on the "Ranch": Just Follow the Yellow Brick Road 19

Giving from the Hart: Becoming a Comforter and a Human Builder 45

Fending Off Loneliness 63

Do You Believe in Magic? 89

Giving and Accepting a Second Chance 107

Writing from the Hart: Becoming a Cyrano de Bergerac 125

One of Life's Lessons: Carpe Diem 153

Remembering Lifetimes 163

Serendipity Can Lead to Self-Discovery 183

A Final Word 203

Additional Resources 205

What People are Saying About This

Florence Scarinci

"Clinical psychologist Fine (The Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy) and Eisen (literature, Nazareth Coll.) here collaborate on a book that is partly a treatise on the ways dogs, birds, and even lizards and fish can be used in therapeutic settings; partly a primer on the life lessons that animals teach; and partly a paean to Fine's pets. Fine sees his animals as "co-therapists" whose quiet presence and nonjudgmental demeanor make his patients comfortable, encourage them to confide, learn patience and self-control, and feel needed. The authors recount many heartwarming and heart-wrenching success that were initiated by Fine's birds and dogs, particularly Puppy, an abused golden retriever that he rehabilitated. Throughout, the writers expound on the virtues animals teach, e.g., "keeping life simple," "learning how to fail," and "shaking it off," which humans would do well to emulate. A good purchase for public libraries."--(Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY)

Editorial Reviews

Clinical psychologist Fine (The Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy) and Eisen (literature, Nazareth Coll.) here collaborate on a book that is partly a treatise on the ways dogs, birds, and even lizards and fish can be used in therapeutic settings; partly a primer on the life lessons that animals teach; and partly a paean to Fine's pets. Fine sees his animals as "co-therapists" whose quiet presence and nonjudgmental demeanor make his patients comfortable, encourage them to confide, learn patience and self-control, and feel needed. The authors recount many heartwarming and heart-wrenching success that were initiated by Fine's birds and dogs, particularly Puppy, an abused golden retriever that he rehabilitated. Throughout, the writers expound on the virtues animals teach, e.g., "keeping life simple," "learning how to fail," and "shaking it off," which humans would do well to emulate. A good purchase for public libraries.—Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY

From the Publisher