Table 2.

Parents’ Free Response Comments

Comments During Treatment

Participant 1: “[Child] is interested since she has questions and likes the pictures, she can relate because she has a little brother, she was a little anxious when we got to the point of Addie petting the puppies, she did not like that idea”. “This week [Child] was able to pet a Chihuahua, she was afraid at the beginning but she did it two times while she was carried by myself and her father”. “[Child] likes the book and she looks forward to keep reading and she sometimes even remember about the book when we see dogs”.

Participant 2: “[Child] was able to pet some puppies that we visited. He got a little startled when they barked but did well. They were six weeks old and I think pit bulls. The mother was outside at the time”. “[Child] has been very willing to try all the activities we have attempted so far”. “[Child] initiated petting a dog when we came across it unexpectedly”.

Participant 3: “She seems to already be more comfortable. We were able to go for a walk and two unknown dogs passed by. She did move away, but she did not stop or cry and we did not have to hold her… which was the norm!” “We were unable to find newborn puppies, but we looked at pictures, etc”. “Every day we drive by a fenced-in dog park that is near our house, so she sees dogs playing there daily. She likes to play “doggy”, where she pretends to be a dog. She has spoken fondly of dogs several times (e.g., “He’s so cute!”). She has watched movies involving dogs as main characters”.

Participant 4: “She seemed very happy to look at dogs and interacted with a small, calm dog. She was much less anxious than in the past”. “She was very excited to pet several dogs over the weekend. She also petted a very small puppy and large rottweiler at a t-ball practice and didn’t want to leave the dogs”.

Participant 5: “He was excited to pet several dogs at a food truck rodeo. He did not seem scared. They were small and big dogs”.

Participant 6: “[Child] pet a small dog numerous times”. “Will be completing some more activities with a planned encounter in the upcoming days”.

Participant 7: “One of the first times [Child] encountered a dog since starting the Addie book, he said “Here is a chance for me to be brave”. We were floored (and beaming with pride) when he said it, and now we re-use his phrase whenever he sees a dog”. “There were 3 dogs at a family birthday party over the weekend. [Child] was nervous, but didn’t run away, scream, or cry. He pet one of the small, calm dogs”. “We went to [pet store]. We looked at the puppies through the windows for a long time and discussed what they look like and what they were doing. Eventually, we asked to pet some dogs. He pet 2 small, calm puppies. He didn’t want to hold them. He tried to get him to pet an Alaskan Malamute, which was bigger and more energetic. He refused”.

Comments Regarding Overall Satisfaction

Participant 2: “I really liked the progressiveness of the treatment and how it set him up for success”.

Participant 4: “Very effective. Kids had a lot of fun and were very engaged in the process”.

Participant 7: “The story helped immensely!”

Note. Comments During Treatment were captured throughout the four weeks of intervention.