Get Started

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Therapy Dog Team Requirements:

• All dogs are required to get annual vet exams, submit proof of rabies and other vaccines, be on monthly flea protection, and be freshly bathed for every visit.  
• Handlers must attend a hospital orientation, pass a multi-step health and background screening, and participate in about 6 training visits. 
• All handlers must pass a background and drug screening, an annual health clearance, attend an orientation, start with supervised visits, and commit to visiting at least twice a month.  
• We also need our dog and handler volunteers to be prepared for a broad spectrum of situations, including those that involve loud noises, sudden movements, tight spaces, slippery floors, strange smells, inadvertent physical roughness, clumsy or emotional interactions, and exposure to a steady stream of strangers and stimuli.

All of our Therapy Dog Handler teams must be registered with Pet Partners, an international non-profit organization. Pet Partners uses standardized criteria to evaluate therapy animals and their handlers all over the country, and there are more than 10,000 registered teams in their system.  

*While therapy dogs provide an invaluable service during their visits to hospital patients, family and staff, the laws and protections granted to service animals do not apply to therapy dogs. Please do not confuse volunteering with our program with gaining access to places or services to which your dog currently does not have any rights.  Therapy dogs do not have any special privileges outside the facilities they visit.