In defining a Therapy Dog, I've come
across quite a number of terms. It seems each organizaton has its
own version of how to use the term *Therapy Dog*. There is also
mention of Animal Enhanced Therapy, Animal Assisted Activity and
Animal Assisted Therapy to consider. I think the best thing to do
is refer you to each organization's website and let you decide for
yourself what should be called a Therapy Dog. Please follow the
links and visit these organizations to see firsthand what they say.
Meanwhile, we will be calling Helga a *Therapy Dog*.
- TDI-Dog.org
(Therapy Dogs International) :" Since the term “Therapy
Dog” has become a household word, confusion has arisen concerning
these rights. Different organizations have been created, and some
have copied Elaine Smith’s ideas and used the term “Therapy
Dog” or even “TDI.” Currently all dogs which
are registered with TDI provide emotional service only! Laws in
various states are confusing and often use the phrase “Therapy
Dogs” to indicate dogs that may or may not be dogs used
for emotional service. Laws have to be read carefully as sometimes
the legislators are not aware of the difference between an emotional
service dog and an assistance dog for people with disabilities.
Emotional service dogs are the type of dogs which are registered
with TDI. TDI dogs do not have the same rights as assistance dogs,
which at times are also referred to as Therapy Dogs"
Referring page: http://www.tdi-dog.org/briefhistory.html.
(owned and copyrighted by TDI, please visit their site for more
information)
- Delta
Society: "As you may know,
the term "pet therapy" is outmoded and is no longer
used. The term was misleading (we do not perform therapy on pets)
and was used in situations where the interaction was clearly not
therapy (only a credentialed therapist can provide therapy), even
though it may have been therapeutic. The terms now used are animal-assisted
activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) Delta Society
uses definitions that come from Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted
Activities and Therapy. Refer to "What's
the difference between service, therapy, companion, and 'social'
animals/dogs?" for current terminology." Referring
page: http://www.deltasociety.org/AnimalsAAAAbout.htm
(owned and copyrighted by Delta Society, please visit their site
for more information)
- KPETS.org
(Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services) "Animal
Assisted Therapy or AAT use certified or registered volunteer
team(s) of animal and handler who work with professionals in various
health care disciplines to help facilitate patient healing and
rehabilitation through specific care plans with goals and objectives.
Progress is then documented and measured. Examples of AAT are
physical, speech and occupational therapies. Playing a tug game
with a dog can improve strength. Range of motion can be worked
on by tossing a toy for the dog to retrieve. Speech can be initiated
by have the patient give commands for the dog to obey or say the
color of the ball he is about to toss. The list continues with
psychological, social and cognitive goals. Animal Assisted Activities
or AAA is when certified or registered volunteer team(s) of animal
and handler visit in a more casual activity. Example of AAA would
be one-to-one visits with one team visiting one client at a time.
Group visits where one team visits with a group of patients. Much
AAA is done by groups of volunteers who go together to visit patients
one-to-one or in organized groups at a facility at a specific
time. Putting on fun demonstrations of tricks, etc to entertain
patients in a group is another form off AAA." Referring page:
http://www.kpets.org/
(owned and copyrighted by KPETS, please visit their site for more
information) Watch
the KPETS video
Note to Therapy Pet teams: if your membership in your
national organization is expiring soon, you may become a member
of KPETS and benefit from local support. Please contact info@kpets.org
for more information.
- Therapy
Dogs Inc. The purpose of Therapy Dog Inc visits is
to provide service in a volunteer capacity. Therapy dog visitations
are so named because they provide a therapeutic benefit to the
general public.
Referring page:
http://www.therapydogs.com/policies.htm (owned and copyrighted
by Therapy Dogs, Inc. Please visit their site for more information)
- Love
On a Leash For Therapy Pets (dogs, cats, birds,
etc.)
What does it take to be a Therapy Dog?
Each organization has its own set of requirements, so contact the
organization you are interested in registering with for exact requirements.
Generally, the dog must know obedience: come, sit, stay, down and
walking on a loose lead, walking safely through a crowd, reacting
well to crowds, other dogs, rough petting, loud noises, wheel chairs,
wobbly crutches, walkers, etc .
Wisdom Passed Down to Me:
Obedience training and socialization should start from puppyhood.
When training, keep in mind the age of the dog (if it is a puppy
it will act like a puppy and that should be expected), and this
should be fun. If the dog is not having fun, stop. Clicker training
is a great positive way to start.. It can be started at any age!
I noticed a difference in Helga's learning when we started with
the clicker. It went so well, I'm even using it to train our cats!
Something to keep in mind is this isn't only about what the human
wants to do, the pet also must want to do the work. Watch for signs
of stress or displacement behaviors. If this is happening during
training or socialization, you need to re-evaluate the situation
and start in a less stressful environment for the dog. If there
is a point you are not having fun, chances are the dog isn't either.
Another point to remember is YOU are your pet's advocate. It looks
up to you to only place it in safe situations. If ever you have
a sense something isn't right or going well, remove yourself and
you pet immediately. If you have to provide an excuse to leave a
situation, do so tactfully, but do remove the pet immediately, safely.
Don't set the pet up for failure.
Contact your local organization or national group and hook up with
other teams already registered to see if you'll really like the
work. You will get to observe and be a part without having your
own pet there, less distraction and you will get to see what the
work is really like.
Therapy Dogs are not service dogs/ assistance dogs and do not come
under the Disabilities Act to be allowed in public places. Never
try to pass off a therapy dog as a service dog. To take a therapy
dog or dog in training to be a therapy dog into a public place,
speak with a supervisor and explain what you are doing, ask for
permission to enter since your dog is not a service dog. It is illegal
to pass off a therapy dog as a service dog. (see The
Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) )
Therapy Pet visitations are a wonderful experience. They brighten
people's faces, and put a gleam in their eyes to see a pet come
into their rooms. Each Therapy Pet Team has many stories they can
tell of the difference their pet made in someone's day.
My own experience during these past
10 months has shown me... have fun with it. At first I
was very nervous with Helga, wondering how I was going to do the
work. It made me feel uptight, and Helga reflected that energy.
Once I relaxed and looked to enjoy the visits, Helga did the same.
The visits can be just a couple minutes with 1 person, or longer
depending upon circumstances for that day. Relax, and enjoy it.
It is important to teach a dog to
be polite. That includes being polite to other dogs. Having
a dog that is friendly and running up to people and other dogs to
say hi, is not polite and the people or dogs that are being rushed
up into their faces are within their rights to complaint (if it
is a human) or to bark and growl (if it is a dog). The offending
culprit is the impolite-rush-in-someone's-face dog and owner. Another
point to keep in mind is the dogs' age... it is many times part
of the adolescence obnoxiousness that the handler is working the
dog through.... and you know how well teenagers listen. (grin)
What is a proper greeting with humans
and dogs? To greet a human, the dog should not be jumping
up on them nor being *licky-licky*. A *kiss* is appropriate if the
human is asked if they like doggy kisses. A dog never greets another
dog in the face, nose to nose. They should meet from the side. A
dog coming into another dog's face is an aggressive action and is
rightly met with a warning growl or bark. Unfortunately you may
come across some dogs (even therapy dogs) that were never taught
how to be polite. You probably won't notice that, but you will hear
the warning bark from the dog that was just rushed in the face with
this aggressive action. Your first thought would be that the barking
dog is aggressive and isn't friendly, when in reality the offender
is the rude dog that wasn't taught polite behavior by its owner.
Take some time, read some books on proper greeting behavior. It
will benefit you, your dog, and the people you will be visiting.
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