WMU sociology professor's new children's book celebrates Michigan's therapy dogs who help kids in crisis

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A new children's book tells the story of three therapy dogs whose work has touched hundreds of children across Michigan, from the Unified Clinics in the College of Health and Human Services to disaster sites.

"A Pack of Therapy Dogs: Helping People One Wag at a Time," written by Angela Moe, a professor of sociology at Western Michigan University, follows Sunny, Oreo and Poppy, a pack of therapy dogs based at the university's Therapy Dog Clinic. The book explores their work in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and disaster response, focusing largely on their role with children receiving services through WMU's Resiliency Center.

Moe said the book had been years in the making, but gained urgency after Oreo, one of the original three dogs, unexpectedly fell ill and died this past year.

"My husband and I were both deeply impacted by Oreo's passing, so we did this together to process our grief and pay homage to his legacy, as well as to the ongoing work of Sunny and Poppy," Moe said.

The book's illustrations are based on photographs from the dogs' actual work, and beyond honoring Oreo, Moe said she wrote it to reflect the experiences of the many children the dogs have worked with over five years at the Resiliency Center.

"My hope of working with kids has always been to hold space for their unique experiences and feelings, regardless of what they are or how others have responded to them," Moe said. "Part of the book's purpose is to normalize these and, hopefully, create an experience where kids can find themselves in the excerpts, knowing they're not alone and perhaps taking some pride in having met and worked with the dogs."

For children facing trauma or other barriers to healthy development, Moe said, therapy dogs "can be a lifeline of acceptance, grounding and felt safety."

The pack's presence on campus has expanded well beyond its origins. Sunny and Oreo both began their work through Moe's sociology courses, including classes on child abuse and family violence that can be emotionally difficult for students. As demand grew, Moe became a certified therapy dog evaluator and began training future handler-and-dog teams, and the 2022 founding of the Therapy Dog Clinic expanded the program's reach further. Today, therapy dog programming runs monthly at Waldo Library and the Honors College, appears across the university's colleges at the start, midpoint and end of each semester, and has grown within the health center and residence halls.

Poppy joined the pack a few years after Oreo, and a fourth dog, Mocha, came aboard about a year ago, too recently to be included in this book. She's already gaining her own following, Moe said with a laugh, adding that a second book may be needed to tell her story.

As for Sunny: now more than 10 years old, he's easing into semi-retirement after helping establish nearly every therapy dog space that exists on campus today.

"His impact has just been incredible," Moe said, “a fitting legacy for the dog who started it all.”

Learn more about the Therapy Dog Clinic.

Learn more about "A Pack of Therapy Dogs: Helping People One Wag at a Time."