Have you ever wondered if your rescue dog might have a calling as a therapy dog?
Walk down the halls of a health care facility today and a friendly therapy dog may just trot up to greet you. Therapy dogs and their human partners bring comfort and cheer to those who most need it. For many human handlers and their rescued pooches, the benefits of volunteering together in animal assisted activity is a life changing experience.
But what does it take to become a therapy dog team and does your rescued pooch have a future in serving others?
My rescued Golden Retriever, Junior, and I worked for several years as a therapy dog team and Reading Assistance Dog team until we both retired. We were often asked if rescued dogs can become therapy dogs. Here are four things we were asked and what we learned on our own journey:
1) What does a therapy dog do?
Therapy dogs are companion pets who volunteer with their human partner to visit in settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries and other community settings to provide the special comfort and benefits of the canine –human connection. Roles of therapy dogs range from providing a friendly visit to a lonely senior in a nursing home, to comforting a hospital patient, to helping youngsters learn to read.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs. Service dogs are those who are specially trained to support a person with disabilities. Therapy dogs do not have the same access privileges in public places as service dogs.
2) What is the road to being a Therapy Dog Team?
Becoming a therapy dog requires teamwork and collaboration between human and canine.
A first step for the human end of the leash is to determine if your rescue dog would be a good candidate to enjoy therapy work and has the appropriate temperament. Not every dog can be a therapy dog. Many rescue dogs enjoy therapy work. Some do not. To qualify to become a therapy dog team, both human and canine volunteers must complete training. It is important to evaluate if both of you are a good fit for the role of a therapy dog team.
A handler-animal team registers as a team with a therapy dog organization when they have completed the training and testing requirements. The handler-animal team must pass a skills and aptitude test, and the animal must complete a health screening. Therapy dog organization requirements may differ, but all require some form of evaluation of both animal and handler.
Rescued dogs and even senior canines often find second careers and a life of service as therapy animals. Temperament is a key qualifying factor. Any breed dog is eligible to become a therapy dog. Therapy animals must be reliable, predictable and controllable by the handler in a variety of therapy situations.
A dog that is outgoing, friendly and confident in new surroundings is a potential therapy candidate.
Therapy dogs should show no shyness or aggression or demonstrate a threatening body posture. Animals that growl or bite or show aggression would not be appropriate for therapy visiting.
The amount of time it takes to prepare a dog to enter therapy work varies with the background of the team. My golden retriever, Junior, a rescue at one year old, was not mature enough to be evaluated until he was three years old. He was distracted by almost anything that seemed fun. Other rescue dogs may be ready sooner. Some dogs may not be suitable for therapy interactions until even later. The dog and the handler both need to be ready and well prepared.
Because animal therapy work is a team effort between handler and dog, the handler also should possess certain characteristics. Handlers must be able to dedicate the necessary time to volunteer and train their animal. Handlers need to be responsible for their animal and an advocate for him or her. Key handler requirements are an ability and willingness to respect client differences and agency requirements, show empathy and maintain confidentiality.
Both handler and animal should enjoy the company of others. Handlers should be able to be friendly, provide gentle interaction, guidance, and be confident and relaxed during visits.
3) What’s our best fit?
For a new therapy dog team, one of the first steps after successfully completing testing and qualification can be finding just the right therapy niche. Some dogs and handlers enjoy interacting with seniors in clinical or acute care settings while other enjoy hospital visiting or the role of reading with children. Matching the dog and handler team characteristics to the facility and role that best matches their experience, talents, interest and energy level is a key part of a successful experience effort for both team and recipients.
Junior, my Golden Retriever partner and I discovered we fit best in reading or visiting in one-to-one counseling environments.
4) How do we get started?
Volunteers interested in becoming involved in therapy work have a number of excellent organizations where they can learn more about becoming a therapy team.  Many organizations’ websites provide information about testing and registration for therapy dogs. Requirements vary for each organization. Volunteering with your pet as a therapy dog is a human-animal connection and partnership that benefits both ends of the leash and others.
Becoming a therapy dog team with my rescued dog Junior is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I believe rescue dogs bring something unique and special to therapy work.
Rescue dogs and thier human partners who give back as therapy dog TEAMS ARE a living testament of hope, resilience, second chances, and the healing power of love.
About the featured photo:
Junior, a Golden Retriever does a “paw stay” to hold the place in the book during a session when a child read a dog story to the rescued Golden Retriever, Dallas, Texas 2017.
Jill Schilp Writes 