Law Practice Management
Lawyer’s Therapy Dog Manages to Calm Most-Stressed Negotiators
Posted May 27, 2009, 12:25 pm CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Annie the Australian shepherd is a certified pet therapy dog and something of a business asset to her master, Oklahoma lawyer Joseph Paulk.
Paulk is president and founder of Dispute Resolution Consultants, with offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. He has found that Annie has an unusual ability, the Journal Record reports. She manages to pick out the person with the highest tension levels in a room full of negotiators and clients, and then approaches that person.
“Just her presence is a calming influence,” Paulk told the publication. “She seems to reduce the level of tension. They unconsciously focus on her sweet nature.”