How can people become healthier and happier through interactions with dogs? The encounter between trained therapy dogs and individuals of all ages helps make them more resilient, calmer, less anxious, depressed, and sensitive to pain. Experienced neurologist and dog trainer Dawn Marcus demonstrates how to develop the therapeutic powers of a dog, describes how to support a chronically ill person with a dog, explains how a family dog can assist chronically ill individuals, teaches how to train a dog to become a certified therapy dog, combines scientifically grounded information with illustrative practical examples, and provides dog owners, trainers, and chronically ill individuals with a comprehensive practical guide. This practice-oriented handbook on dog-assisted therapy scientifically validates its benefits.