Therapy Dogs with “Luna Howls at the Moon” Author Kristin Tubb

luna howls at the moon banner — *^{Image cred: Harper Collins}*

Therapy Dogs with “Luna Howls at the Moon” Author Kristin Tubb

Life can be downright stressful. And loving on a dog is a wonderful way to chase away the dark clouds. Seriously. It’s science. 🙂 Join us as we chat about a scientific study proving dogs alleviate stress. Then join us as we discuss therapy dogs like the canine hero in Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s new middle grade novel Luna Howls at the Moon.

Study Shows Petting Dogs Alleviates Stress

From sciencedaily.com:

For college students under pressure, a dog may be the best stress fighter around.

Programs exclusively focused on petting therapy dogs improved stressed-out students’ thinking and planning skills more effectively than programs that included traditional stress-management information, according to new Washington State University research.

The study was published today in the journal AERA Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. The paper demonstrated that stressed students still exhibited these cognitive skills improvements up to six weeks after completion of the four-week-long program.

“It’s a really powerful finding,” said Patricia Pendry, associate professor in WSU’s Department of Human Development. “Universities are doing a lot of great work trying to help students succeed academically, especially those who may be at risk due to a history of mental health issues or academic and learning issues. This study shows that traditional stress management approaches aren’t as effective for this population compared with programs that focus on providing opportunities to interact with therapy dogs.” Read more…

Luna Howls at the Moon — The New Book Starring Luna, a Therapy Book

From Amazon.com:

The award-winning author of A Dog Like Daisy returns with a moving middle grade novel from the point of view of Luna, a Labrador therapy dog who accompanies her group therapy kids when they set off on an adventure across Austin, Texas.

Luna has always wanted to be a therapy dog at Therapy Dogs Worldwide. Now she’s a whisker away from reaching her fifty-visit pin that will make it official. But when her “clients”—the children who visit her—are put into a therapy group, Luna’s routine is upended.

Like the moon, Luna shows different faces at different times. And her clients each have different needs—Beatrice is tangled in knots of anger, Caleb rushes like a waterfall, Amelia carries fear heavy like a shadow, and Hector is quiet as a rock. To comfort the kids, Luna can be what they need her to be, but can she be everything to them all at once?

When Hector doesn’t show up to a session one day, the kids set off on an unexpected quest to find him. Luna joins to keep them safe, and they must work together to almost learn the truth.

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