009. Therapy Dogs
Description
This article is from the Service Dogs FAQ, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
009. Therapy Dogs
Dogs are quite often used in therapy. Typically this involves visiting hospitals, care facilities, nursing homes, etc. to cheer up patients. There are a variety of groups that train therapy dogs, some local and some national. Some use the AKC Canine Good Citizen test to choose suitable dogs, others have devised their own Temperament Tests. You should note that therapy dogs ARE NOT considered BY LAW in the United States to have the same status as SERVICE DOGS. Service dogs directly assist their handicapped owners with daily tasks in some fashion; therapy dogs are handled by their owners to assist others at specific times, such as visits to a facility. Thus laws mandating access for service dogs, who must accompany their owners do not apply to dogs who need not be with their owners at all times but rather work at specific locations.
Resources
A national organization that dispenses information about therapy dogs is the Delta Society, 289 Perimeter Rd. East, Renton WA 98055-1329, vox: 206-226-7357, tty: 800-809-2714; or via email: deltasociety@cis.compuserve.com. They put out a magazine called Interactions as well.
Another well-regarded organization is Therapy Dogs International (TDI) and they may be reached at tdi@gti.net.
In addition many local humane societies, breed clubs, and obedience clubs do some hospital visitation.
Books
*. Therapy Dog.
Therapy dog training. A good psychology book with gentle training methods.
Harrington, Paula. Looking ahead: Guide Dogs for the Blind. 1st ed. San Rafael, CA: Guide Dogs for the Blind, c1990.
This one is sort of a "coffee table" book; lots of nice color photographs, and it covers the history of Guide Dogs, the training (both for the dog and the blind person), the 4-H puppy raisers, and lots of other stuff.
Pfaffenberger, Clarence J., et al., with the editorial assistance of Sarah F. Scott. Guide Dogs for the Blind, Their Selection, Development, and Training. Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co.; distributors for the U.S. and Canada, Elsevier/North Holland, 1976.
Many specific details on the genetics, training, 4-H project coordination, and so forth.
Therapy Dogs- Training Your Dog to Reach Others, by Kathy Diamond Davis.
"Social acknowledgements for children with disabilities: effects of service dogs." Bonnie Mader, et. al. Child Development 60:6 p1529-34.
"The Animal Preference Test and its relationship to behavioral problems in young children." E.B. Rojas, et.al. Journal of Personality Assessment 57:1, p141-8. Mefford, Eleanor M Bringing Up Baby Dog World 77(2): 36-38,39 Feb, 1992
(article is about raising dogs to be used with young children suffering from socialization problems and language abilities problems)
Ashby, Ann Gritt Healing war's wounds Dog World 77(7): 40-43, July 1992
(article is about using animals as therapy for mentally ill veterans)
Organizations
Delta Society 289 Perimeter Rd. East, Renton, WA 98055-1329
Delta Society Pet Partners Programs 289 Perimeter Rd. East, Renton, WA 98055-1329. (206) 226-7357 (voice); (800) 809-2714 (TDD); (206) 235-1076 (fax); deltasociety@cis.compuserve.com
Therapy Dogs Inc. Ann Butrick, 2416 E. Fox Farm Rd., Cheyenne, WY 82007. Phone (307) 638-3222
Therapy Dogs International Ursula Kempe Administrator 88 Bartley Rd. Flanders NJ 07836. Phone 973-252-9800, fax 973-252-7171. Email tdi@gti.net, web page http://www.tdi-dog.org/
Therapy Pet Pals of Texas Kathryn Lashmit, 807 Brazos St. Suite 312, Austin, TX 78701
Pet Assisted Therapy Facilitation Certificate Program Pearl Salotto, State University of New York. Phone (401) 463-5809
Francie Glatt, 1504 N. Wells, Chicago, IL 60610. Phone 312-280-0266; chtrp@aol.com
Love on a Leash Liz Palika, 3809 Plaza Dr., #107-309 Oceanside, CA 92056. Phone (619) 630-4824
PAWS - Pets are Wonderful Support P.O. Box 460489, San Francisco, CA 94146-0489. Phone (415) 824-4040
Pets and People Foundation Sally Jean Alexander, Volunteer Coordinator, 11 Apple Crest Road, Weston, MA 02193
The Human & Animal Bonding Association of Canada (HABAC) 1111 Finch Ave. West, Suite 453, Downsview, On M3J 2E5 CANADA. Tel (fax) 416-441-3212.
St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs Doreen Newell, Provincial Co-ordinator, 1199 Deyell 3rd Line, Millbrook, On. L0A 1G0 CANADA. Tel (fax) 705-932-3626
International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) IAADP@aol.com. If you know someone with an Assistance dog, tell them to send a 9 x 12 envelope, self addressed, w/2 postage stamps to: IAADP * P.O. Box 1326 * Sterling Hts., MI 48311. They will receive a free copy of the IAADP quarterly newsletter, plus information about the Assistance Dog Protection program.
Cen/SHARE (Center for the Study of Human-Animal Relationships and their Environments) Research and education, including studies of service dogs and their owners. The mailing address is 80 Ford Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
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