Therapy dogs bring affection and comfort to people in a variety of ways.
Therapy dogs work in hospitals, nursing homes, and retirement communities. They also visit the homebound, showing their tricks or simply being a warm furry body to pet and talk to.
There are “canine reading buddies” throughout the country where dogs visit libraries and schools to work with children, giving them confidence in reading. Many hospitals utilize specially trained therapy dogs to help people in rehabilitation by encouraging those recovering from injuries to reach, throw, and walk.
Therapy work is not for every dog; but if your dog enjoys it, Therapy dog work can be a very rewarding gift to others.
There’s a difference between a therapy dog and a service dog. The rights of service dogs to go into stores and restaurants do not extend to therapy dogs.
Some venues that offer certification in therapy dog work are linked below: