Calm Kids Fears with Lola the Therapy Dog

I’ve heard that dog owners are either “big” dog or “little” dog people. I’m clearly a little dog person. At 5’0″ on a good day I don’t want a dog that’s taller than me when it stands on two legs. I’m not looking for a dog that’s going to enjoy long walks or play a mean game of fetch. I’m more so looking for a dog that enjoys belly scratches and lazy days on the couch.

When we rescued Elvis last year, John said, it was like “they had made a dog just for me”. I was in the last month of my pregnancy and Elvis always seemed to know when I needed someone to cuddle with or just keep me company on the couch. Little dogs love a good lap and a belly scratch but surprisingly many little dogs aren’t therapy dogs. Due to their size little dogs aren’t always cut out to be therapy dogs unlike bigger dogs like golden retrievers.

When I was asked to review the Lola the Therapy Dog book series, I couldn’t say no to Lola’s cute little face. The series has four books which go through Lola’s journey of being a therapy dog starting with school and her first day on the job, plus Lola Goes to the Doctor and Lola and the Tattletale Zeke. The books are illustrated with photographs of Lola and the other dogs. As a dog lover I’m in awe of how Lola has managed to stay still for these adorable photos and also at how well they capture the story. Children will love how cute Lola is and how these photographs bring the story to life.

The books deal with situations that kids can relate to like being nervous on the first day, worrying if Mom will come back and being scared at the doctors office.

My favorite book in the series is Lola Goes to Work where Lola has her first day as a therapy dog. The pictures of her helping kids with special needs, the sick and the elderly are heart warming and reminded me of why we have pets. They give such a quiet comfort and ask for little in return.

Therapy dogs provide comfort to others when they need it most. When Lola enters a classroom she immediately finds the child in the room who needs her most and connects with them. Even the smallest of dogs can make a big difference.

I was provided with a set of Lola the Therapy Dog books to review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.