And then there are the social benefits "
She can turn an elevator of strangers into group of smiling, chatting old friends in less than six floors, writes Susan Chernak McElroy o:author with Michael w. Fox of Animals as Teach- ers and Healers: True Stories and Relections, of her dog's impact on stranger "Any room she graces becomes an instant mecca of goodwill, happy faces and workers rolling around on the floor for a therapeutic dog kiss and hug