Your favorite miscreant here... Just wanted to ask you about the process of certifying a dog as a therapy dog

Question

1) How do you start/finish the process?
2) Are there any regulations,or limitations concerning breeds? (Arizona)
3) After certification what are the legal rights/benefits concerning travel i.e, can landlords deny you residence if they have a no pets policy, can you use the bus with dog in toe, can I go to class w dog in toe etc.?
4) Are there legal differences between therapy dogs and see and eye dogs? If so what are they?
PS I'm recovering from Bipolar disorder and my peer told me that my psychiatrist can help me establish the right to have a therapy dog as she has, so I'm considering getting a APBT (Americas Dog), but as you see I'm cautious about getting leases and traveling, so any insight will be appreciated, thanks

I mean TOW

Answer 1

There is a difference between "Therapy Dog" and "Service Dog". A therapy dog doesn't HAVE to be allowed anywhere, a service dog is allowed everywhere (a seeing eye dog is one form of service dog).

State laws vary from state to state as far as whether "emotional support" dogs are a qualified Service Dog. Check with your state's department of human rights.

Be prepared for a lot of flack when you attempt to enter businesses if you don't "look" like you need a Service Dog. Quadrouple the amount of flack if you decide on a APBT... perhaps NOT the ideal breed if you're already dealing with the issue of being bi-polar.

Answer 2

Therapy dogs are not considered special and they can be denied access to "no pet" facilities.
There are major differences between therapy and seeing eye dogs. Seeing eye dogs are permitted anywhere the owner can go where therapy dogs are not.
Therapy dogs are mostly comfort dogs.
I don't believe there's any limitation on breeds. I've seen poodles to St. Bernards.
We have a beagle which is certified as a therapy dog.
Dogs must attend obedience class and then judged on their temperament. Usually the dogs are represented through the volunteer agency that provides the service. In our case "Paws for People".
What would you expect the dog to do for you?
I doubt you would be able to bring to class, maybe on the bus if it has a vest.

Answer 3

1. Obedience training and a series of exercises that you pass in a test. You have to pay for the tests. Go to the Delta Society's website and they will show you a comprehensive set of information.
2. Not for therapy dogs. As for breed bans, you do have to check your specific state. I do not know Arizona. I do not reside there.
3. Therapy dogs do not have the same right as a service dog.
4. Service dogs do have different training and regulations than thereapy dogs. Yes, there are legal differences. Be very aware of them and respect them because they should not be abused. You have to have an actual "by law" physical disability. Again, this is a "law interpretation" thing so you may have to see a lawyer for your specific case.

Answer 4

I think what you are talking about is a service dog. A therapy dog is used for just that, therapy. I have two registered therapy dogs with TDI and my dogs are covered by their insurance when we go to hospitals or nursing homes but they are not welcomed every where. There are no regulations concerning breeds when it comes to therapy dogs but unfortunately many cities are banning APBTs so that is something to consider.

If you are looking for a therapy dog to visit hospitals and nursing homes the process is getting your dog ready by going through some training classes, then having the dog evaluated and if the dog passes the test it will become a registered therapy dog. However, I think what you are looking for is a service dog.

http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/node/74
http://www.cofc.edu/~huntc/service.html
http://sdog.danawheels.net/
http://www.adionline.org/

The websites answers the rest of your questions. I hope this helps.

Answer 5

I think you are wondering about an emotional support dog. There is a more "technical" name for it but I can't remember. A "Therapy Dog" is a dog who visits nursing homes, hospitals ect.. to brighten the day of people that don't get to see dogs that often or don't have family to come see them ect.. I have a dog who is Therapy Dog certified so she does those things. I'm sure somebody will comment with info on the emotional support dog, or you could do an internet search. I know that if they are certified then they can go into places like seeing eye dogs can and people can't be breed discriminative with them (altough they will try)

Answer 6

I had my pups in a privately owned dog trainer's when they were young. It was for obedience training, but at the time the trainer told me that I could bring them back if I wanted to and she would train them to be therapy dogs and that she could certify them. In addition to privately held therapy dogs there are those that are used in facilities like rehabilitation hospitals and nursing homes. These animals can bring back the love of caring to individuals who have been without it for many years. I'm retired now, but I spent the last twelve years of my nursing career in elder care. Fairly recently it's been recognized that depression and anxiety are rampant in the elder population. Until not many years ago this was sort of written off to simple behavior issues. But more and more it's being recognized as legitimate disease processes. Elders have grief issues relating not only to loss of spouses but to distancing of families and loss of life long friends. Plus they often take numerous medications from numerous physicians without cross checking done adequately, resulting in side effects not realized by their primary physician. While the training for therapy dogs is rigorous it's nothing like the extensive training that goes into those service dogs that assist blind, deaf or diabetic individuals. If I were you, I would seek out a dog trainer that has an individual practice. I don't expect you would find therapy dog certification at Pet Smart or other public pet stores. Look in your local yellow pages and phone some of the dog trainers. It probably won't take too many calls before someone will refer you to a trainer who offers this service. Good luck!

Answer 7

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://tr.im/BIncI

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 8

Lots of good sites here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=certification+for+therapy+dog

As to #4 I think the seeing eye dogs are covered by insurance as a medical thing, but the therapy dogs aren't yet.

Therapy dogs can go anywhere you can, UNLESS it's a special thing like a hospital (sanitation issues), into a restaurant kitchen (again, sanitation) and on some planes (no seat room). Otherwise anywhere the public can go, the dog can go too. Landlords can't say no dogs if it's a therapy or seeing eye dog, they can't win that one in court.

Answer 9

By law, no one has any right to deny you access or services provided to the general public due to the use of an assistance dog, regardless of breed. I'll star this to see if some folks I know on here that work with service dogs can explain the process better than I can.

Answer 10

you need to get the dog CGC certified first... then find a group that will certify you and the dog for pet therapy. find a nearby delta society.

no breed is disqualified from pet therapy. but you will need to check your state and local laws about APBTs. In many states BSL has taken in affect.

It is different having a pet therapy dog. These dogs are allowed to visit nursing homes and some hospitals. you must have a doctors note, so to speak, to allow a dog with you everywhere. It must be a valid note. As with traveling with and American Pit Bull Terrier, you will need to check laws and regulations as to where you are going.

There are different legal rights concerning pet therapy and seeing eye dogs. They are in different classes of training.

You will probably have problems bringing a pet therapy dog around with you to classes and the store.

I don't think that bipolar would be an illness to allow you to NEED a dog with you at all times. In many cases the obese can have dogs as they are handicaped with their weight. But, even these dogs must be near seeing eye dog ability. They don't need to be certified as such. But, I've only seen this happen with one person and one dog, as the person was a fellow dog trainer friend of mine, and her basic obedience titled dog.