Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs are those with a loving, sweet temperament that are trained to provide affection, comfort and companionship to people in need.

"It helps to be sensitive!"

They work with people in retirement and nursing homes, hospitals of various types, hospice, and other organizations or situations where people can benefit from the unconditional love provided by these furry guys.

The US Army, for example, is using these working dogs in Iraq to help comfort traumatized soldiers struggling to overcome mental health issues.

Medical and emotional benefits have been attributed to having a sweet dog to love. A loving dog can help to lower your blood pressure, ease your stress and generally raise the spirits of those around him.

Who Can Perform this Service?

You just need to be loving, good natured and enjoy hanging out with people. You would need to be easy-going and really enjoy being petted, even if it gets a little clumsy.

A good fella for this job really warms up to strangers quickly and wouldn't mind hanging out with someone in a hospital bed or wheelchair (depending upon the dog's size, of course).

It is important to have the right credentials to get started in providing this service. Passing the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test is a good start.

Other helpful sources of information are Therapy Dogs International and the Delta Society.

These working dogs provide a truly wonderful service!

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