Therapy Dogs: Offering Comfort and Joy
Therapy dogs come in all sizes, shapes and colors from the miniature dachshund to the somewhat larger bullmastiff. Therapy dogs do not have to be a specific breed or a purebred dog with a pedigree and certificate. However, the therapy dog must be at least one-year-old, composed, well-disciplined, well-mannered and have a sweet temperament or disposition. No one wants a dog to bark and be disruptive when visiting someone in a health facility. This shows lack of control on the part of the handler for letting the dog bark. It also shows lack of obedience on the part of the dog. Dogs must be strictly under the command and attention of their handler at all times. They even must remain on a leash during their visits, unless the therapy dog is participating in a ‘tricks’ program for their audience. During this time, they are allowed to be off-leash; when the performance has ended, the leash is again put on the dog. These beautiful dogs provide a welcome respite for those in the hospital, nursing homes and rehab facilities, as well as, support and just good old-fashioned fun when children read to them during visits to schools and libraries.
What is a therapy dog, you ask? Therapy dogs are first and foremost obedient, friendly, good natured and loving canines. They bring comfort and joy to all who have the privilege to meet them. To become a nationally certified therapy dog, the dog must first be trained in basic obedience. This training can begin when you first bring your puppy into your home. Learning who the ‘alpha dog’ is in the family will come in handy when training your new pup for therapy dog work. The handler must be in command at all times and must be viewed by the dog as the ‘alpha dog’ in the working relationship of this partnership.
How does a dog become a therapy dog? Not all dogs pass the three mandatory tests to become a registered therapy dog. Tests are administered by certified tester/observers that have been trained by the national organization of Alliance of Therapy Dogs, whose main office is in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The handler is also tested on how well he/she manages the behavior/performance of the dog. There are 10 objectives on the national therapy dog tests and the dog and its handler must pass each objective. A few aspects of the testing procedure include: 1) A dog must not bark inside a facility—this is an automatic test failure. It shows a lack of control on the part of the handler and lack of obedience on the part of the dog. 2) A dog must not enter a patient’s room before being allowed to enter by the handler. If a dog enters a room before the handler, this is an automatic test failure. Again, the handler determines the actions of the dog and must walk into a room first and invite the dog to follow. 3) A dog must not react to seeing or being close to another dog in the facility. When more than one therapy dog team is visiting a facility at the same time, when the dogs pass in the hallway, neither dog may react to the other. They also may not come within two feet of one another. There can be no pulling, sniffing, barking, pawing, or playing with each other. Dogs must totally ignore each other when at work. Otherwise, this is an automatic test failure during the observation part of the test. If any aspect of the observation and testing procedure is not achieved satisfactorily the first time, additional training is then required before the dog and handler may be tested again. It is up to the handler to assure his/her dog is completely under the handler’s control and command at all times.
There is even a reading support program called Paws for Reading in several Prince William County schools and Manassas City schools. Teachers select students who need a little extra help with their reading skills to read books for 30 minutes to the therapy dogs once a week for a specific time period—perhaps a month or six-weeks. The dogs are non-judgmental and help provide a safe, friendly, non-threatening environment for the children to better their reading comprehension and skills. They do not criticize students when a word is mispronounced, the child stutters, or is fearful of reading aloud; they just enjoy the time spent together. These dogs love being with people. They love being petted. They love the children and the children love them. Some students have approached their reading session tentatively. They either are afraid of dogs in general, had a bad experience with a dog, or maybe haven’t really been around dogs much. These terrific therapy dogs sense the resistance and do not pursue the child; they let the child come to them. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Recently, therapy dogs have been at the fore-front in providing emotional support and comfort in trying times for children and adults who have experienced heartbreaking events in their lives. Following hurricane Sandy in the northeast in 2012, therapy dogs were brought in to provide compassion and love to children who had lost their homes, their clothes, their toys—actually, their whole world. Therapy dogs have also provided emotional support to victims and their families of the tragedies in Newtown, CT, Boston, MA and West, TX. Therapy dogs provide stress relief and emotional support when called upon. These wonderful animals also work right alongside military personnel to help with not only the stress levels of these staff members, but they also provide powerful support in situations of dire circumstances.
Therapy dogs provide comfort and support for law enforcement personnel who have experienced tremendously stressful situations or events. The dogs visit with these public servants and bring a calm, tranquil and peaceful atmosphere for these deserving community helpers.
You say dogs can’t show compassion. I say nonsense. Of course, dogs show compassion. Have you never had a dog put his head in your lap when you are feeling out-of-sorts, irritable, grumpy, unwell, just downright not yourself? A dog knows. Dogs can sense these human feelings and they can bring a sense of calm and assurance that things will get better for their human companion. Because of the compassion and kindness they exhibit with children, therapy dogs have been found to be especially beneficial working with children with autism.
Locally, the Manassas Therapy Dogs organization currently has 43 members. A dog and its handler are considered one ‘dog team.’ Several more ‘teams’ are in training right now and are just waiting to take their final test and observation to become a certified therapy dog team.
For additional information on how you and your dog can become a certified therapy dog team, please contact Terry Erlichman at 1eterry@comcast.net Terry will be most happy to answer any of your questions about the work of therapy dogs and what you need to do to join the national and/or local organization.
Contact for this Article:
Greta E. Perry
MTD Chairperson
Communication Chair
Manassas Therapy Dogs
703-594-2304