Heads or tails: Does it matter what part of a therapy dog gets patted?

Heads or tails: Does it matter what part of a therapy dog gets patted?

B.A.R.K. program coordinator Freya Green measures therapy dog Dash for the study. Floor Xs mark students seating, with discussion encouraged with handler Maureen Watt (seated) and researcher Mikaela Dahlman. Is it a scratch behind the ears while staring into those puppy dog eyes, or is it a gentle pat on the back and a wagging tail that makes spending time with a therapy dog so comforting? New research from UBC Okanagan suggests that when it com…