ABSTRACT
My interest in human animal interaction originated in 2013 during my sabbatical year as a sociology professor. I had studied mental health and addictions for the majority of my career, and I wanted to examine the field from a new standpoint. A colleague suggested that I identify a topic I love and would therefore enjoy studying, and the first thing I thought about was my canine companions! So I googled dogs and addiction and did not discover much. Now, seven years later, when I google these terms, much more peer reviewed research is available, including that of my team (see, for example, Effects of a Therapy Dog Program on the Wellbeing of Older Veterans Living in a Long Term Care Residence in Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 2018).
