Hi! Does anyone have experience with their deafblind pup being evaluated? In my area, my Josie would be the first, though I know there's been at least one elsewhere. We're working on touch cues now and hope to get evaluated before the end of the year. One thing that's confusing is that I thought PP would have their own thoughts on how her evaluation should be conducted, but the health assessment asks our vet for which accommodations should be made. Thoughts??

I have been working on a "resume" for myself & my dog to share with organizations I may be interested in bringing Lilo to. We did our first visit last week and she did a great job! I've created the resume, but once that was completed, I realized many organizations may have a lot of other questions and creating an FAQ for the reverse side could be helpful. Things I've already included in the resume are: all of the training classes we've taken, vaccination info, our Pet Partners ID number, liability insurance coverage, grooming. What are some of the most common things you're asked about when you visit with your animal?

I adopted a dog and she is about 2 years old. She loves people and has done amazing work in only the month I’ve had her. I have high hopes for her to become a therapy dog. My biggest question is if her being a rescue dog works against her in some way? We are working to eat treats much more gently, loose leash walking, etc. When we go to public places like Home Depot she does really well and does not bark or jump up on people. Does anybody have a therapy dog that is also a rescue? What was your experience working with a dog who was a bit older and became a therapy dog?

Hello, I have time and believe my dog would be good as a therapy/petting dog. I would like to do some volunteer work, perhaps in care homes or rehabilitation centres, anywhere a friendly dog might add something . But I don't really know where to start. thanks.

I’m looking for a therapy dog to visit my son at our home. We’re in Oceanside.

Hi all, just checking in here to see if there are any pet therapy orgs in North America that use a certain supplier they like. Thare are the usuals like 4imprint but just seeing if there is anyone else?

Cheers and have some great visits this week.

Here's Coda doing a pose I haven't seen before... I call it the downward dog with a sideways lean!

Coda visited the Frederick County Courthouse today for the first time with the Go Team! She did a phenomenal job. 😊

Greetings, Redditors!

I am a 5th grade public school Teacher in Maryland and I'm moving to a new school this year and my principal is very excited to have our Go Team Therapy dog, Coda, as a part of the classroom and school community!

My thinking is that I would have her come on Fridays, mainly because my wife doesn't work on Fridays and she can be home if Coda has to head home for some reason. My principal's main concern is what to do for students with allergies. Depending on the severity of allergies, if they exist, we would obviously just keep her home. I was considering using time with her as an incentive for students.

Does anyone have experience with this? Have you used any paperwork such as releases or permission slips for students to interact with a therapy dog?

Any other ideas or tips would be extremely helpful! Thank you!

(Coda pictured being a sweetheart)

Jared and Coda here with the Go Team in Frederick, MD! Excited to hear about more therapy pups out there!

Just as the title states i’m having trouble setting up visits with my dog and I. She is certified through our local therapy dog group which has many facilities and places listed that we are able to go to. Problem is I call these places they say they will get back to me and never call me back. I don’t want to keep calling these places as well and being annoying. Just unsure what to do, any advice would be great, thanks!

We have a 9-month-old primarily Great Pyrenees mix who I am training to come to work with me at a mental health day program once she passes the CGC (6–12 months from now). She is doing super great with obedience class and greeting people gently and letting people pet her, BUT… she is leery and suspicious when people act scared of her and then barks at them, and kind of stays at a distance walking back and forth with little low growls and her head bowed or doing the puppy bows- which all makes the scared person even more scared.

Any ideas on training her to be more understanding (lol I don’t know how else to word that) of fearful people? She is huge (9 months and 95lbs already), and a lot of people have an initial fear of a big dog, so it’s something we will run into a lot.

Hi everyone! I have just been approved for membership with my therapy dog in one of our local therapy dog organizations. I am really excited! My dog is a 3-year-old Norwegian Elkhound named Rilla, and she absolutely loves people, so I think this is going to be a great experience for both of us. It's also going to help me get out of the house and help make a difference in people's lives.

Upon going through their online orientation, some items suggested to carry while taking my therapy dog to visits included hand sanitizer, lint rollers, a water bowl, poop bags (of course), and that was really all I remember. I thought I would be able to access the recommended gear after I submitted the orientation, but I am not able to. What would everyone suggest taking with me to therapy dog visits? The organization will be providing me with a badge and my dog a vest with their organization logo on it. I am planning to upgrade to a larger fanny pack-style bag for these, and just wanted insight on any other items I am totally missing that I may find useful.

Thank you so much!

I work at The Farmer's Dog and I've been thinking about this since we announced it - we're partnering with the USO to provide free food for 250 dogs belonging to military families. A lot of those dogs are therapy dogs. Working animals helping service members cope with PTSD, anxiety, and the daily grind of military life. On duty just like the people they support. Military families deal with so much and dogs can be a real source of stability through all of it. Idk, it just feels good to work somewhere that does stuff like this.

My boy Soup is a 5 year old mini goldendoodle and is just about the chillest dude I’ve ever met. Everyone who meets him says we should get him into being a therapy dog and I’m finally ready and have a schedule that might allow for it. I’ve seen something about getting a canine good citizen certification, what else do I need to get started?

I’m in Nebraska if it matters at all, and would be open to just about anything that could help others.

He knows sit/down/stay, but he does like to jump up to meet people, so I know we need to work on that. Otherwise, he’s just a 45lb strip of Velcro.

Appreciate any guidance!

What do you think?

My whippet will turn 5 next month. She has been doing this since she was one. I have two more at home. A male 9 yo too happy and an 8 yo girl with separation anxiety, mild. Wanted either of them to be a therapy dog but.. anyway, my last one is a little demon at home. When she goes to assisted living and hospice she is calm and cool. Loves the volunteer coordinator and the staff

More reserved around the patients at hospice as she should be. This past week we moved into a brand new beautiful facility. We were given a private tour 2 weeks ago so she could sniff around and get a lay of the land.

Today we went for our first visit and of course her routine was a bit off. The boss met us outside not in her office. My pup greeted her and then the staff. She seemed a bit shy. Finally she saw a guy she knew from the old building. He is rather tall. For whatever reason she got scared backed up a few feet and piddled. We then decided to remove her from the area and take a walk outside.

She knew many of the staff members but they were not in there usual spots, she did greet the ones she knew. We decided against family visits. This is not my first therapy dog. But my first one to get frightened by someone.

Any comments.

My whippet will turn 5 next month. She has been doing this since she was one. I have two more at home. A male 9 yo too happy and an 8 yo girl with separation anxiety, mild. Wanted either of them to be a therapy dog but.. anyway, my last one is a little demon at home. When she goes to assisted living and hospice she is calm and cool. Loves the volunteer coordinator and the staff

More reserved around the patients at hospice as she should be. This past week we moved into a brand new beautiful facility. We were given a private tour 2 weeks ago so she could sniff around and get a lay of the land.

Today we went for our first visit and of course her routine was a bit off. The boss met us outside not in her office. My pup greeted her and then the staff. She seemed a bit shy. Finally she saw a guy she knew from the old building. He is rather tall. For whatever reason she got scared backed up a few feet and piddled. We then decided to remove her from the area and take a walk outside.

She knew many of the staff members but they were not in there usual spots, she did greet the ones she knew. We decided against family visits. This is not my first therapy dog. But my first one to get frightened by someone.

Any comments.

My girl has been my partner for 10 years. She was a foster fail who needed a job. Took a year to housebreak (and even now, I've got stories to tell. But never while doing therapy work), heartworm positive, opinionated, and sweet as molasses. She's visited nursing homes, hospitals, libraries, done R.E.A.D. It's bittersweet. Ten years is a long time and I am grateful for this sweet, amazing girl.

This image was included in a card I handed out to my clients today. We have one more visit to another rural Texas nursing home on Thursday and then my special girl gets to retire. She will still compete in nosework, take walks at the local park, chase bunnies in the yard and tell all the birds they can't land here.

Skye is 13. She's been a therapy dog for 10 years, has titles in rally, FastCAT and nosework. She went through multiple homes in her first year of life before landing with Houston Eskimo Rescue. I took her on as a foster because she was literally going nuts in a kennel. She is the reason I tell people I will never own another terrier or spaniel (she's a strong mix of both). She is my best friend, my shadow and the dog who taught me to re-think and re-shape my training techniques.

I am so grateful to my organization and my clients for allowing me to share my sweet little toot with them.