TherapyDogsInc.GeneralInformationandHintsTips.docVIP

Therapy Dogs Inc. GENERAL INFORMATION The Beginning: Jack and Ann Butrick of Cheyenne, Wyoming, founded Therapy Dogs Inc. in 1990. Since then, it has grown into an organization of more than fourteen thousand members in the United States and its territories, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Purpose: It is the purpose of Therapy Dogs Inc. to provide registration, support and insurance for members who are involved in volunteer animal assisted interactions, or AAI, the term currently and?most widely used to describe the whole spectrum of possibilities for animals working with people to enhance their experiences. Under this umbrella, there are two principal types of AAI: animal-assisted activity (AAA) and animal assisted therapy (AAT).?AAI is defined as any therapeutic intervention that intentionally includes or incorporates animals as part of the therapeutic process or environment. These activities include, but are not limited to, visits to hospitals, special needs centers, schools and nursing homes. The Objective: Our objective is to form a network of caring individuals who are willing to share their special animals to bring happiness and cheer to people, young and old alike. Therapy Dogs Inc. is a therapy dog registry; it screens potential teams to be registered after they have met certain requirements and passed specific criteria. About our registered teams: Therapy Dogs Inc. tests and registers handler/dog teams. A prospective member or current member testing with a new dog must own or have had a close relationship with the dog for a minimum of 3 months before testing. For insurance reasons, Therapy Dogs Inc. cannot register wolves, wolf-hybrids, coyotes or coyote-hybrids. There is no perfect breed or mix of breeds for therapy work. As long as the dog is more than one year of age, healthy, well mannered and enjoys human contact, he/she will make a good therapy dog. Knowing tricks is not required, but many members have taught their dogs special tricks such as “sha