Like a Boomerang, Boomer came around and bounced back after his first round of surgery to prepare him for his new limb.  He shows the tenacity to survive, and willingness to thrive in whatever situation he finds himself.  His personality and temperament win the hearts of everyone who meets him.  These qualities allow Boomer to be a candidate to become a very special therapy dog when he has recuperated from his surgery and adjusted to his new limb. 

 

Wondering if your dog could become a therapy dog, and what is required? The most important and essential qualities are that a dog must be friendly, like to initiate interaction with people, and is well behaved.   A therapy dog is exposed to a variety of stressors, and unpredictable situations, and must have a very stable temperament.  He/she must be social enough to not react adversely if a human in a hospital or nursing home setting acts in an inappropriate manner. 

 

There are many organizations both locally and nationally that hold evaluations.  The two largest are Delta Society www.deltasociety.org and Therapy Dogs International  www.tdi.org  There are local affiliates of these groups all across the country.

 

There are two types of programming a therapy dog team can provide AAT ~ Animal Assisted Therapy and AAA ~ Animal Assisted Activity.   With AAT, a practitioner or teacher will have a plan of action with results that must be recorded.  With AAA, there are no results that must be attained, but the quality of life and welfare of the patient is noted to improve in the majority of cases.

 

The training a therapy dog must undergo involves basic obedience, and a very firm understanding of the command “LEAVE IT.”  Below is a listing of the training and components required of a therapy dog in order to become a certified therapy dog.  The handler plays a very important role in the team in relating with the patient. 

 

It is advisable for a dog to at least pass the Canine Good Citizen test.  The therapy dog test is very similar with some additional situations such as how well the dog handles loud noises, people in wheelchairs, or using crutches and walkers, and the ability to withstand rough handling.  The occupants in facilities can sometimes be unpredictable and the dog must be able to handle these stressors without reacting inappropriately.  He must always show self control, and that he willingly obeys his owner/handler.   Basic obedience of sit, down, stay, come, heel and leave it are a requirement to passing the evaluation.   

 

Once the dog shows he is ready and successfully completes the evaluation, he is able to visit a variety of patients in medical facilities, and children in the school or library setting.  Some therapy dogs also serve as Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.), they pay careful attention to the child that is reading, thus helping the child increase confidence, and skills in reading aloud. 

 

The main difference between a service dog and a therapy animal is that the service dog is trained to stay with its handler/owner and not interact with the general public.  It sole purpose is to serve the handler.  A therapy animal is expected to be social, and interactive with a large variety of clientele of all ages and infirmities.   Animal Assisted Therapy has been in existence for over twenty years.  Medical personnel are just beginning to understand how the interaction between a dog, and a patient can enhance the healing process and improve the quality of life for the patient. 

Submitted by:
Heddie Leger, CHES
The PawZone, LLC ~ Pawzitively Passionate About Petz
Liberty, Missouri ~ Dog Scouts of America ~  www.dogscouts.com
Mo-Kan Pet Partners ~ APDT, APHE, IAABC, MAAL