In The Golden Bridge, Patty Dobbs Gross explains how specially bred and trained dogs facilitate communication for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. This important work is a guide for parents, teachers, and
therapists alike, and is written for all those who are dealing with the social, emotional, and educational issues related to raising children with such cognitive challenges. The Golden Bridge explores unique and complex issues inherent in living with autism, training an assistance dog to work with a child with autism or a developmental disability, and using an assistance dog to deal with a child's grief. Myths and labels about autism are explored, examined, and carefully redefined. While focusing on children with autism in The Golden Bridge, Dobbs Gross shares key insights applicable to anyone breeding, raising, training, and working with dogs to mitigate any type of disability at any age. This impressive volume also contains a list of resources for follow-up information, a section on books about autism, and a directory of assistance dog providers.
Foreword, by Debi Davis
Preface
Part 1: The Journey Home
1. The Golden Bridge
2. Diary of an Autistic Mother
3. Zen and the Art of Understanding Autism
4. Life as a Computer, by Danny Gross
5. Assistance Dogs and Children with Autism
Part 2: Raising Your North Star
6. Choosing Your Companion
7. Charting Your Course
8. Raising a Dog for Search and Rescue
9. Raising a Dog for Seizure Alert and Response
10. Raising a Dog to Help a Child Who Suffers a Loss
Part 3: The Possibilities of Partnership
11. From Puppy with Potential to Autism Assistance Dog
12. Ethical Use of Assistance Dogs, by Riggan Shilstone
13. Selecting a Puppy to Work with a Child, by Dee Ganley
14. Right from the Start, by Sue Bulanda
15. Puppy Socialization 147
Dee Ganley
16. Puppies 101, by Renee Premaza
17. Raising Piper: Training an Assistance Dog for a Child with a Developmental Disability, by Rachel Friedman
18. Taming the Teenage Assistance Dog, by Michelle Goldner
19. A Mother’s Letter to Her Son, by Kathleen Vranos
20. Training an Assistance Dog for Public Access, by Shari Dehouwer
21. The Evolution of a Professional Therapy Dog Handler: Roles and Goals for Success, by Kris Butler
22. Dustin’s Paw: Including an Assistance Dog in the Classroom, by Diane Rampelberg
Part 4: Home before Dark
23. The Path Less Traveled
24. Harmony Revisited
25. Parting Thoughts
Appendix: Choosing an Assistance Dog Organization or Trainer
North Star Foundation
References
Index
Patty Dobbs Gross is a professional service animal consultant and executive director of North Star Foundation, a registered nonprofit that places high-quality assistance dogs with special-needs children at an affordable price. Dobbs Gross holds a BA in psychology from the University of Massachusetts and an MA in writing from the University of New Hampshire. Both a published author (Dancing in the Rain) as well as an award-winning television producer ("Northern Lights" and "Raising Your North Star"), Dobbs Gross’ research focuses on canine behavioral genetics, animal-assisted therapy, and autism in children. She resides in Storrs, Connecticut.
