Michelle Rivera is the author of several previous books including Do Dogs Have Belly Buttons? She has two Certified Delta Society Therapy Dogs: Murphy, a golden retriever, and Tabitha, a standard poodle; she also has three cats. All are rescued animals. Rivera also is a registered humane educator with the Palm Beach County School District and the founder and executive director of her own nonprofit humane education organization, Animals 101, Inc.

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: What is animal-assisted therapy?
Chapter 2: Bring me a dog...
Chapter 3: Pet therapy partners
Chapter 4: The man who could not eat
Chapter 5: Sato therapy
Chapter 6: A deathbed confession
Chapter 7: Preacher, step aside
Chapter 8: In denial
Chapter 9: Squirrel therapy
Chapter 10: But you cannot hide
Chapter 11: One of a kind
Chapter 12: The white dog in the night
Chapter 13: Alfred and tilly
Chapter 14: RX for pain
Chapter 15: Time to walk the dog
Chapter 16: Hooray for Hollywood
Chapter 17: Peaches and Flo; Where will they go?
Chapter 18: Kids and dogs club
Chapter 19: Therapist to the therapists
Chapter 20: The rehabilitation of Maxine
Chapter 21: Will work for biscuits
Chapter 22: A children's festival
Chapter 23: Getting started as a partner with your pet
Afterword

Dogs know when we are feeling down. They love it when we are happy and seeking friendship and fun, and they understand when we are feeling sad and desperate. This book presents a series of real-life tales of the positive effects dogs have had on people at the end of their lives, chronicling the visits by two therapy dogs, Woody and Katie, to patients in a south Florida hospice facility. Through twenty-one stories, infused with humor amidst the sadness, Michelle Rivera, an experienced animal therapist, explores the many ways in which animals can ease human suffering. Her book begins with the deeply personal story of her own mother Katherine's illness and dying appeal to have the company of a dog, and proceeds to tell the stories of patients young and old who the author was inspired to visit with her "hospice hounds." As well as demonstrating many of the techniques of animal therapy, Rivera argues powerfully that not allowing pets in health care facilities is a counterproductive policy that deprives patients of comfort at the time they need it most. Some of the stories were previously published in Hospice Hounds (2001), but the author has substantially expanded her introduction and added an invaluable final section that gives practical tips on training and certifying your dog to be a therapy animal.