Who wouldn’t love a therapist who comes to you in person every week, allowing – even encouraging – you to hug and stroke them ’til your anxiety is gone? Well, that’s what a therapy dog does…or did until the pandemic. Those days will return and therapy dog trainer, Jinna Risdal, will regale host Susan McCabe and REALTalk listeners with stories of these remarkable creatures whose mission is to improve human health and well-being through the human–animal bond. Jinna works with Pet Partners, a 43-year-old organization dedicated to training human-dog teams to visit locations as diverse as hospitals, senior facilities, schools, libraries, courts and even airports. You may have one in your house! Tune in to find out how these creatures (most are dogs, but some are cats, horses, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, domestic rats, birds) qualify to be therapy animals. It’s sure to be REAL.