Medical Malpractice

How can you get a dog certified to visit people in hospitals?

I'm thinking about getting a new dog (possibly a westie). And I have heard about how you can get them certified to visit people in hospitals (which would probably be a really interesting experience). How would i be able to get a dog certified? Is there a place that i can go to somewhere in South Florida to get a dog certified. Any information and websites are appreciated.

Public Comments

1. google " therapy dogs international" remember,, you must know the temperament of your dog.. not all dogs are therapy dog material. especially young terriers.
2. You have to find a training place that certifies dogs for this. (Most trainers are able to do this, however it can't be a trainer who has trained you and your dog.) Then, when the dog is 6 months old you can get them tested for Canine Good Citizen. If they pass that, you can have them tested for Therapy Dogs International, however they have to be 1 year old to be allowed to pass the TDI test. ADDITION: Seriously? How do I get a thumbs down for answering the question perfectly? Let alone the fact that I know what I'm talking about since my dog is certified to do this.
3. I don't know what groups are in your area, but you can join groups like DELTA or Gabriels Angels for becoming a therapy dog. YOU also want to work on training and getting the good citizenship certificate. You can check that out on the akc.org website. Do a internet search for pet therapy group south florida to see the groups that come up. YOu can also call a local hospital and ask which groups they currently use for pet therapy. Then try to join that group since you know it will be accepted by your local hospital.
4. You have to pass the canine good citizenship test which means: Accepting a friendly stranger. Sitting politely for petting. Allowing basic grooming procedures. Walking on a loose lead. Walking through a crowd. Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place. Coming when called. Reacting appropriately to another dog. Reacting appropriately to distractions. Calmly enduring supervised separation from the owner. You can get it through your dogs trainer or sometimes a breed club. Check out the AKC website for more info. I hope to do this with my dog in a couple years when he has matured to.
5. No matter what breed you go with, find a good breeder (IF you get from a breeder) who can help you pick the best dog from the litter so it has an even, friendly temperament. If your dog is friendly, approachable, non-aggressive or easily scared and you have decent control (basic obedience) it is not hard at all to train for therapy work. There are three national organizations you can register through: Therapy Dogs Incorporated Therapy Dogs International Delta Society There are also some local organizations in some states, but I'm not familiar with the smaller organizations. My dog is registered via Delta Society. This website will show you what you have to do to be a Pet Partner (what a dog-handler team is called): http://www.deltasociety.org/VolunteerAbo... Also below is the test you have to pass with the Delta Society: Part 1:http://www.deltasociety.org/download/PPS... Part 2: http://www.deltasociety.org/download/PPA... The nice thing about Delta Society (and I think the other two, but you'd have to check) is that you get liability insurance built in for your visits so you are covered in case there is any problem/accident during your therapy visits. My dog and I visit a Juvenile Detention Center every Sunday and occasionally a nursing home. My goal is to start a local chapter of the Reading with Rover program which provides reading opportunities for kids to read with dogs. The kids usually are ones who have difficulty reading and it seems that when they sit down with a nice dog they feel more confident because dogs are not judgemental and so comfortable to read to. Good luck! Therapy work is a lot of fun!