About

Our Philosophy

Therapy Dog Tails attempts to view creation from a point of view different from the human one – a canine consciousness that is less arrogant than the human one and that values the “life” of everything in existence. (We humbly admit that this is our “human” interpretation of canine consciousness.) Thus TD is able to communicate not merely with animals of all kinds but with all of creation, animate and inanimate. Why assume that quartz or oxygen cannot have a “consciousness” simply because we cannot fathom it? Why draw an arbitrary line between the animate and the inanimate – especially considering that both are equally vital to creation? Certainly we can feel the beauty in a gentle breeze brushing over our skin. Maybe we feel just as beautiful to the breeze!

Therapy Dog speaks all languages and perhaps raises the bar for the respect, appreciation and uncomprehending awe that we might feel for this universe that we all inhabit.

Our Mission

Therapy dogs are real.  Modern medicine recognizes the therapeutic value of the love and attention of “man’s best friend”.  In some mysterious way the love of a dog touches our love of life.  Now Therapy Dog is real.  We hope that Therapy Dog combines the therapeutic effect of unconditional love with the life-giving power of laughter.

We bring playfulness and love to the world through art.

Therapy Dog’s Skills

  • Listener 100%

  • Fluent in all languages 99%

  • Dog Paddling 43%

  • Dog whistling 75%

  • Tug of war 32%

  • Green Space Expert 91%

  • Fetching 11%

Meet the Team

  • David Haverstock

  • Writer

“I was writing before I could read,” says David Haverstock of his early academic career in Massillon, Ohio.  “I wrote my first novel in eighth grade and wrote a comic newsletter to be passed around my ninth grade civics class.  That was my way of being class clown.”

Haverstock graduated from the University of Illinois, Chicago.  He spent the next five years teaching English abroad in Saudi Arabia and Nicaragua.

“Therapy Dog was inspired, of course, by real dogs used to soothe the souls of people during trying times and that’s what we hope the cartoon will do.  It was a blessing to be able to team up with an artist like Zawadi Noel.  We hope that Therapy Dog Tails will make people a little happier than they otherwise might be.”

An upstate resident now, Haverstock devotes his time to imagining what problems a door stop might have.

  • Paula Haverstock

  • Artist

I grew up drawing and progressed to oil painting and acrylics in high school. I have always done a lot of portraits in pencil and oils. More than 45 years later after getting my iPadPro and ApplePencil, I started doing drawings of political figures. Dave decided to use them for creating his Therapy Dog cartoons. We continue to do the political characters but now we do more non-politicals … animate and inanimate.

  • Zawadi Noel

  • Artist

Since the age of three, I have been invested in visual storytelling, in developing and designing characters, in building new visual worlds. Graduating from the School of Visual Arts, with a degree in Cartooning, I have found myself embracing a wide range of artforms, from stoyboarding music videos to animating character models. Cartooning is my craft, art is my heart.

  • Therapy Dog

  • Character

Therapy Dog is a dachshund who was abandoned as a pup. Early on he displayed a uncanny aptitude for cognition and human language. After being kicked around abroad he found shelter in America. Eventually he was adopted by a loving family under whose auspices his natural intellect and abilities flourished. Nevertheless he insisted on living a normal canine life with his owners and masters until the time came when he set out on his own.

Therapy Dog pursued his higher education and excelled in a broad range of studies.  Ultimately he was drawn to the humanities and to the study of psychology and philosophy in which fields he has published extensively. His innate altruism has led him to devote his life to understanding and healing the emotional suffering of all.

Today Therapy Dog makes his residence in New York City where he has developed a thriving private practice. His latest book in the popular “Lick Your Troubles” series, “A Lick and a Wag” is eagerly anticipated.