Therapy Dogs
From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners volunteer together as a team to improve the lives of those in their community.
What is a Therapy Dog?
Therapy dogs are dogs that volunteer with their owners to provide pet therapy. Our therapy dog teams provide unconditional love, offer friendship, boost self-esteem, provide solace and relieve loneliness and boredom for children, adults, and senior citizens in a wide variety of circumstances. The objective of pet therapy is to provide comfort and pleasure to someone in need. Research has shown that interactions with therapy dogs have significant health benefits and can reduce stress, anxiety and depression as well as provide a sense of connection in difficult situations. The human-animal bond is a strong relationship that positively influences the health and well-being of both.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs or emotional support animals!
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​Service dogs: Are specially trained dogs that perform specific tasks to help a person who has a disability. ​
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Emotional Support Animals (ESA): Are prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with a disabling mental illness. These animals are not trained to help with a disability.
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Therapy Dogs: A volunteer team comprised of a pet dog and their owner who offer pet therapy.
Becoming a Therapy Dog Team
We are a certified evaluator for Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. For more information on the organization please click [here]. B&BTD does not require that your dog attend training classes to become a therapy dog - You do not need to train with us to test with us. They just care that you and your dog can pass the test!
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Step 1: A Therapy Dog is born, not made.
What are we looking for? A Therapy Dog must have an outstanding temperament! This means that the dog should be outgoing and friendly to all people; men, women, and children. Yes, one can teach a dog mannerly behavior, but one cannot change a dog's inherent temperament. When a dog is put under stress, poor or marginal temperament will surface. The dog should be tolerant of other dogs (of both genders) and non-aggressive toward other pets. Before you consider having your dog evaluated, you should ask yourself if your dog has these qualities.
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Step 2: Handler and Dog Qualifications
Handlers: must be a minimum of 14 years old to go out on a therapy dog visit alone. Handlers younger than 14 may test and join our organization, but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times. All therapy dog teams commit to volunteering at least one hour per month, on behalf of others in need.
Dogs: must be 1 year old, minimum. If the dog is from a rescue organization, the owner/handler must have owned or handled the dog for at least 6 months before testing. Dogs that have been trained to be aggressive or who have a “bite history” are prohibited from testing with Bright & Beautiful. This policy applies to situations involving either other dogs or humans.
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Step 3: Training
You do NOT need to train with us to test with us! B&BTD does not require that your dog attend training classes to become a therapy dog. We just care that you and your dog can pass the test! To pass the exam, your dog will need to have sound on leash obedience. Not there yet? No worries! From basic obedience to certification, we can help! From basic to advanced obedience, we are happy to help.
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Step 4: Testing
The test itself is very straight forward and available on the B&BTD website. ​​A dog may have multiple handlers (spouse, child, etc...), however each person and their dog must test individually.
We offer testing days 3-4x a year. Please check our events calendar for upcoming test dates!