Therapy dogs, encompassing all breeds and mixes, offer comfort to people in various settings like hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and disaster-affected areas. Unlike service or medical alert dogs, therapy dogs, accompanied by their owners, volunteer to bring joy and comfort during short visits.
This practice, initiated in 1976 by Elaine Smith, has grown significantly due to the positive impact on individuals facing illnesses, recovery, or loneliness. Visits from therapy dogs have been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost overall morale, all on a volunteer basis without financial compensation for the owners.
In this article, we cover:
Porter, a 16-month-old Shih Tzu from Saratoga, New York, and his human, Laura Toma, have been active as Therapy Dogs with Therapy Dogs International since May 2015.
They visit assisted living facilities and plan to extend their outreach to a school for children with developmental disabilities. Porter's mission is simply to spread love.
While every Shih Tzu is beautiful and each are endearing in their own way, not every Shih Tzu has the particular disposition that is needed to work as a therapy dog. With this said, when you look at the personality traits required for a dog to be a successful therapy dog, it is common for this playful, outgoing and friendly breed to embody them all:
Gracie, 2 years, 10 months old, ready to see patients at the hospital
Pet parents: Steve & Carol
We'll see more of Gracie ahead
And, testing is quite extensive. Just some of this includes:
In all, there are 13 tests, divided into 2 phases.
Any growling, snapping or biting will automatically disqualify a dog. Even such things as not immediately recovering from being startled, acting shy or licking the offered food will result in not passing the course.
If you register with Therapy Dogs International, you'll be given a manual and a DVD to be able to thoroughly practice with your Shih Tzu and then you can decide when you think he/she is ready.
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