Dogs sense things and reach these patients in totally different ways than we do, ways that no medicine or doctor will. The dogs must pass an obedience course and be certified to work in hospitals. But their bedside manner goes beyond basics. Roz, for example, can stand on her hind legs against a hospital bed, making it easier for patients to reach her. That trick charmed patient Lorraine Haag on a recent Thursday.
Dogs have a tendency to make people forget they're sick.
As one of California's first sports psychologists, Jeffrey Wildfogel built up a solid practice in the mid-1980s working with both professional athletes and weekend sports enthusiasts. But it wasn't long before he began to notice that the advice designed to improve the forehands and chip shots of his white-collar clients was having an effect on their management and sales skills. He still draws on research he did on performance psychology at Stanford. This summer, Wildfogel will go from coaching executives to being one. And this time I have stock options.