Facility Therapy Dogs

Bring joy and ease emotional distress at your facility

Animal-Assisted Therapy

School faculty members, counselors, therapists, or other professionals: if you’re on this page, you may be considering integrating a therapy dog into your school or other environment to reduce stress and improve the mental health of your students, coworkers, or clients. Fantastic!

WRCP’s therapy dog program was originally designed around individuals like you. Unfortunately, with many hospitals and assisted living facilities still not allowing regular visitors, we have suspended our regular therapy dog program but continue to offer training and certification for individuals looking to utilize their therapy dogs in their place of work.

What does it take for a dog to be a therapy dog?

A therapy dog is a pet who genuinely seeks out and wants human and attention and affection; their joy in interacting with humans has a positive impact on those with whom they interact. These dogs must also be safe and bomb-proof in multiple environments; a dog who is aggressive or fearful or even shy towards people will not have the stress-relieving effect most people are hoping to achieve. Further, a dog who does not have impeccable manners in public/around people is a potential safety risk in school or other environments. To be certified as a therapy dog through our program, the following requirements must be met:

  • Dogs must be at least 1 year old, and handlers must be at least 18 years old
  • Dogs must be spayed or neutered and in good health
  • Dogs must pass a Temperament Assessment administered by a WRCP trainer
  • Dogs must pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test
  • Dogs must complete a Supervised Therapy Visit scenario conducted by a WRCP trainer

Do you want to start a therapy/facility dog program in your workplace? Click the button below to request a therapy dog information packet and schedule you temperament assessment!