Volunteer Therapy Dog Teams

Do you have a friendly, affectionate dog? Do you want to share your dog’s love with others? You might want to become a volunteer therapy dog team! Our therapy dog teams volunteer their time visiting places like schools, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and hospice care to bring joy and alleviate stress.

Facililty Dogs / 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!

A Facility Dog is typically a dog utilized in one of the scenarios listed above on a more permanent or full-time basis. If you fit the above descriptions and have a dog you are interested in training or are interested in acquiring a dog with this end goal in mind, get in touch! We’d love to help design a program for you.

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