This project was created to address the needs of police based victim services units as they implement a therapy dog program into police detachments. Taking the form of a manual, this project examines the many considerations of implementing a program that has very little precedent in Canada and no precedent at all within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The manual is broken down into distinct sections with headings and sub-headings that address different aspects of each component listed. The main content is factual and experiential in nature and will lead the reader through the considerations of implementation as well as offering examples of the program in practice. The project looks at the historical precedence of animal assisted therapy and explores its challenges, findings and successes while also discovering the unexpected benefit of the therapy dogs' presence within the detachment itself and how this soft approach to grounding helps clients, officers and victim services workers alike. --Leaf ii.
