The Golden Bridge: A Guide to Assistance Dogs for Children Challenged By Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities (New Discoveries in the ... S.) (New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond) [Paperback]

Patty Dobbs Gross (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 1, 2005 | Series: New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond

In The Golden Bridge, Patty Dobbs Gross provides both personal and professional advice on how specially bred and trained dogs help to facilitate communication for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. This important information compendium is a guide for parents dealing with the social, emotional, and educational issues related to raising children with challenges. Myths and labels concerning autism are explored,examined, and redefined. While focused on children, the advice that Gross shares will be immensely helpful for anyone involved in breeding, raising,and training dogs to mitigate any type of disability at any age. The Golden Bridge provides advice about living with autism, animal-assisted therapy and 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. This impressive volume also contains a vast list of resources, including Web sites, for follow-up information, a section on books about autism, and a directory of assistance dog providers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patty Dobbs Gross is the executive director of a nonprofit organization that places assistance dogs with children who face special challenges. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Massachusetts and her Master's Degree from the University of New Hampshire in writing. She is a published author of Dancing in the Rain and an award winning producer of the television programs Northern Lights and Raising Your North Star. Gross has compiled research on canine behavioral genetics, animal-assisted therapy and children with autism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Purdue University Press (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155753408X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557534088
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #700,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Dogmatic August 26, 2009

By Steve Wilson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Just finished the book and thought I would share my impressions while fresh. I very much enjoyed the author's personal stories about raising her son who is on the autism spectrum and how he developed and progressed through the years, in part due to the relationship with his service dog. The chapters describing the training and breeding of assistance dogs were also very informative, both from the author's experience as a trainer, and from the advice given by several contributing specialists in the second half of the book.

Less appealing aspects of the book included the over promotion of the author's NPO `North Star' which breeds and trains assistance dogs. So frequent was the name cited that I felt like I was reading the script from an infomercial. Along with tireless promotion of North Star comes the single minded advice that the one and only solution for an assistance dog is a pure bred Golden Retriever (only) that is well bred (North Star), well tempered (North Star), and well trained (North Star). I also found the text to be a bit flowery for my taste, and at times found it so over saturated with unnecessary metaphors and similes that it smothered the passage (like a load of jagged rock crashing down on a fragile candle).

Overall I did find this to be a useful book, particularly since our family is in the market for a dog, and we hope that it can be a good companion for our young son who is on the spectrum. Based on this reading though, I am not convinced we really need one of the elite assistance dogs described in the Golden Bridge, so we have adjusted our search toward a more ordinary family pet.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visionary Book... February 19, 2007

By Anniew Briggs Kelly

Format:Paperback

I just finished reading The Golden Bridge and wanted to put in a few words while it's still fresh. I feel this book is a great success on many different levels. Author Patty Dobbs Gross is clearly an expert in the areas of service dogs, including breeding, training, and raising. And her knowledge is supplemented by contributing authors that offer sections of expertise on various particulars regarding the use of service dogs.

The volume of useful information to be found in this book was extremely rewarding, but in addition to the usefulness of that, I was incredibly moved by her own personal story, which is woven through the book. Through her prose, she tells her own story of struggle, which slowly grows into finding her unique and special path. Her strength of character and resolve shine as beacons to those of us finding our own paths in life. Gross's determination to create something good out of the challenges that faced her and her family, and to succeed so well at it, is truly inspiring.

Ms. Gross, in telling her personal story, paints a very vivid and moving picture and writes in a very compelling way. I was totally drawn in, and literally didn't put the book down until I finished the last page.

I highly recommend this book for it's informative aspect, it's emotionally appealing story, and it's vision.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Here are the tips, tricks, websites, and references needed to understand the entire field! December 10, 2006

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

Any working in the field of child development or disability will find THE GOLDEN BRIDGE: A GUIDE TO ASSISTANCE DOGS FOR CHILDREN CHALLENGED BY AUTISM OR OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES to be a rare treat. It blends personal and professional advice on how these dogs can help such kids and provides parents with all the keys to handling the issues related to raising such children. Dog breeders alike will find this an important key to understanding how to raise a dog who can work with a developmentally disabled child. Here are the tips, tricks, websites, and references needed to understand the entire field!

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful Approach to Integrating Animals in the Lives of Special Needs Children March 24, 2007

By Kate Nicoll

Format:Paperback

A thoughtful exploration of the benefits and challenges in the intergration of assistance dogs for children living with autism. I have worked with Patty over the last six months and have been impressed with her understanding of the necessary steps to help build a healthy relationship among children and their canine friend.

Kate Nicoll, LCSW, founder of Soul Friends, Inc.

Soul Friends: Finding Healing With Animals

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great information and very moving stories. July 15, 2007

By Kris Campesi

Format:Paperback

This was a great book with a great deal of useful information. My only caution is that you need a box of Kleenex when you read some sections...it is very moving. This book gives great insight into how a well trained dog can help with an Autistic child. It also gives useful information on how to train a dog to work with an autistic child but it is not a do it yourself book...professional help is needed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource May 14, 2007

By Jan

Format:Paperback

I bought this book to help guide us through the process of possibly getting a dog to help our 4-year old son w/ autism. What I found is that this book is so beautifully written, touching on the very essence of living in a family with a child who has a disability. It's inspirational, heart-breakingly true, yet heart-warming and realistic. I highly recommend it for all parents or older siblings of family members with autism.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Bridge: A Guide to Assistance Dogs for Children Challenged by Autism... January 22, 2008

By William H. Davis

Format:Paperback

This is the definitive text on the use of assistance dogs for autism from an author who has placed more dogs for autism in the United States than anyone else. She speaks with authority and the compassion of a mother who has raised a child with autism through the assistance of a service dog. I highly recommend this book to all those with a family member who is affected by autism.