Calvin Coolidge (left), was a registered therapy dog for ten years. He visited more than 4,000 people in his career and remained active in his therapy dog role until he was 13 years of age.
Therapy dogs are much more than a nice dog visiting a nice person in a stable environment. A well-thought out, professionally developed program can mean the difference between meaningful visits and trouble. A quality therapy dog program will have dedicated, well-trained, compassionate volunteers who have attended comprehensive hospice and therapy dog training. The program will have a competent leader who is a champion, someone who not only loves dogs but understands how and why they are beneficial to the population they serve.
Starting a therapy dog program takes commitment and dedication to safety and infection control practices. If you are interested in starting a program, consider the following:
- Does management of your organization support a therapy dog program?
- Do they understand the benefits of therapy dog visits?
- Are staff enthusiastic and supportive of a program?
- If liability is a concern, is management aware of the liability insurance volunteers
can carry if the dog is tested and registered through a national therapy dog
registry?
- Who will help you in the program development process? (remember: Canine
Comfort can take care of this for you!)
- Once the program is developed, who will be responsible for supervising existing
and recruiting new volunteers?
- Is your organization willing to provide the needed resources (staff time) to help the
program remain stable and viable for years to come?
Remember, with Canine Comfort as your partner, you can have a successful, safe, innovative program that will bring immeasurable joy to those you serve.
Therapy dogs are much more than a nice dog visiting a nice person in a stable environment. A well-thought out, professionally developed program can mean the difference between meaningful visits and trouble. A quality therapy dog program will have dedicated, well-trained, compassionate volunteers who have attended comprehensive hospice and therapy dog training. The program will have a competent leader who is a champion, someone who not only loves dogs but understands how and why they are beneficial to the population they serve.
Starting a therapy dog program takes commitment and dedication to safety and infection control practices. If you are interested in starting a program, consider the following:
- Does management of your organization support a therapy dog program?
- Do they understand the benefits of therapy dog visits?
- Are staff enthusiastic and supportive of a program?
- If liability is a concern, is management aware of the liability insurance volunteers
can carry if the dog is tested and registered through a national therapy dog
registry?
- Who will help you in the program development process? (remember: Canine
Comfort can take care of this for you!)
- Once the program is developed, who will be responsible for supervising existing
and recruiting new volunteers?
- Is your organization willing to provide the needed resources (staff time) to help the
program remain stable and viable for years to come?
Remember, with Canine Comfort as your partner, you can have a successful, safe, innovative program that will bring immeasurable joy to those you serve.