Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs are pet dogs that love to interact with people. They are used for visiting hospitals, nursing homes, libraries for "Read to a Dog" programs, and a wide variety of other programs.Therapy Dogs must really love interacting with people and being petted. Handi-Dogs works with the Delta Society Pet Partners Program in Tucson.

There are 2 steps to becoming a Therapy Dog Team:

1. Your dog's Skills and Aptitude will be assessed by the registering agency (such as Delta). If your dog needs some more training to pass these tests, you may enroll in Handi-Dogs' 10-week session or attend drop-in classes. If you feel that your dog can pass the tests without further training, you may contact Delta directly. In Tucson, the contact is Jan Hutchinson at 520-490-6053.

2. Attend a Delta Society Pet Partners Team Training Course.

Eligibility for Handi-Dogs' Dog Training Classes:

Dog owner must have the expressed intent of registering their dog as a Therapy Dog with an agency such as the Delta Society.

Dog:

Must have proof of health and required vaccinations.
Dog's Age: Basic obedience training at Handi-Dogs can begin as early as 4 months (dogs younger than 4 months should be enrolled in a puppy socialization class). Although Delta dogs must be at least 1 year before they can begin visiting facilities, we highly recommend you begin training/socializing your dog at a safe facility as young as 8 weeks of age.

*Important Note
For liability reasons, you should never take your pet dog into any facility unless the dog has been registered with an appropriate agency. Therapy Dogs do not have universal public access rights. They can only enter facilities for which you have made prior arrangements.

Cost
Drop-in classes are $20 per class.

If your dog needs to "start from the beginning" with basic obedience training, you should consider attending a complete 10-week session. The cost for each 10-week session is $200.

Application in PDF format