Question about therapy animals

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

@Mersha got me thinking, after seeing her post.

Are there any rules about Therapy animals?

Yesterday I made the mistake of going to Costco. An older gentleman in a scooter forgot where his Costco card was. He checked all his pockets and compartments in his wallet. And then went through them again before he found the Costco card. Quite a line had formed to enter the store.

But it didn't matter, because right after you scanned your Costco card, 2 middle aged ladies were trying to reason with their therapy dog. Apparently the rather large mid sized dog did not want to ride in the cart. And the dog was winning. They stood right in the middle of the entrance isle, so no one could get around them because of the displays at the entrance.

Finally they took the dog out of the cart but then the dog would not move. It just stood there not moving. After watching this "show" what seemed like forever, my husband finally wormed his way through the TV isle.

Do therapy dogs get any training? The dog didn't seem to be trained and the women didn't seem to be trained either. Made me wonder why they would pick a Saturday afternoon at Costco to take out their therapy dog.

katie1859 · ‎06-25-2022

Therapy Animals is quite different than ESA ( emotional support

There are programs and each state has its own protocols

Look by your locations then by the organization that processes the animals

There is a criteria that has to be followed

ThinkingOutLoud · ‎05-01-2020

I thought therapy animals have to wear a vest that indicates such. Any other animal should be left at home.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

The only dog trained and certified is a service dog, the kind that's trained to lead the blind or perform other service for a disabled person. Their selection and training are extensive, and they'd never behave like the dog you saw in Costco.

Therapy dogs receive some training and must be docile and friendly. They are the dogs that visit hospitals and nursing homes or let children read books to them in libraries. They have a calming effect on people.

Emotional support animals are for the most part, a sham. They receive no training and can get a certificate by mail order. They include all types of animals and supposedly make their owner feel better just by being there. Many transportation sources and commercial enterprises have booted them out.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

TheMemphisVette · ‎02-01-2015

costco on a saturday is a sure bet for some kind of challenge encounter

~~today may be my last.....i choose JOY!~~

reiki604 · ‎03-09-2010

Service animals are highly trained at specifc tasks to provide safety for their owners. Whether it be leading a blind person safely or alerting for epileptic or diabetic emergencies.

Emotional support animals are simply beloved pets.

'I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man'.......Unknown

qvcaddition · ‎03-10-2010

@Kachina624

@Kachina624 wrote:
The only dog trained and certified is a service dog, the kind that's trained to lead the blind or perform other service for a disabled person. Their selection and training are extensive, and they'd never behave like the dog you saw in Costco.

Therapy dogs receive some training and must be docile and friendly. They are the dogs that visit hospitals and nursing homes or let children read books to them in libraries. They have a calming effect on people.

Emotional support animals are for the most part, a sham. They receive no training and can get a certificate by mail order. They include all types of animals and supposedly make their owner feel better just by being there. Many transportation sources and commercial enterprises have booted them out.

You are correct. My Dog was a Therapy dog and trained as such to visit hospitals and nursing homes. She had to go for two weeks for training and also to see if she was a calm dog to be able to do it. She passed and we went once a week on our assigned day to visit patients. She was assigned a uniform and leash and a Kaiser card with her picture as Kaiser members.

Another thing, dogs are not allowed to be placed in grocery carts, even Therapy dogs.

bmorechick · ‎03-11-2010

@Kachina624 You are spot on with your reply. On my work campus, there was a building that trained service dogs and therapy dogs. The animals were refrained from interacting with folks working on the campus. They were amazing to watch.

I did part of my psych internship in a nursing home and yes, the animals are so loved by the folks who live there and for the most part, they tolerated all the petting and holding well. That's a good thing.

Emotional support to the point where you can't go to the store without your animal? Yes, that's a sham.

qvcaddition · ‎03-10-2010

@drizzellla

@drizzellla wrote:
@Mersha got me thinking, after seeing her post.

Are there any rules about Therapy animals?

Yesterday I made the mistake of going to Costco. An older gentleman in a scooter forgot where his Costco card was. He checked all his pockets and compartments in his wallet. And then went through them again before he found the Costco card. Quite a line had formed to enter the store.

But it didn't matter, because right after you scanned your Costco card, 2 middle aged ladies were trying to reason with their therapy dog. Apparently the rather large mid sized dog did not want to ride in the cart. And the dog was winning. They stood right in the middle of the entrance isle, so no one could get around them because of the displays at the entrance.

Finally they took the dog out of the cart but then the dog would not move. It just stood there not moving. After watching this "show" what seemed like forever, my husband finally wormed his way through the TV isle.

Do therapy dogs get any training? The dog didn't seem to be trained and the women didn't seem to be trained either. Made me wonder why they would pick a Saturday afternoon at Costco to take out their therapy dog.

Yes. Therapy dogs do get training. My dog was one and two weeks of training. They are assigned a badge, a outfit and leash. Mine was a Kaiser therapy dog and also had a Kaiser card as a human member does. She could also go to nursing homes. It cost me over 200 for her to become a Therapy dog. Outfit and paperwork, etc.

As I stated in another post, dogs are not allowed in carts, not even Therapy dogs. I think its against the law.

I don't think these women knew that, plus I don't believe their dog was a therapy dog.

KBEANS · ‎06-08-2020

They have training for therapy dogs but it's not the same as service dogs.

The therapy dogs are themselves very relaxed and chill animals 😊 and that rubs off on their owners, or those they provide therapy for example children, special needs individuals and hospital patients.

That's my take on them! We used to have therapy dogs come in to our school and sit with the kids when they read. It was so beautiful to see.

We inherited a service dog when a friend died. He was very well trained, behaved and had a wonderful temperament.

Jake was trained for a Veteran by a trainer for the VA. and given to our friend. He was of service to him for 14 years!

When we went out we never pretended that he was our service dog but he was still registered as one.

He didn't know that though...
The problem was he never went off duty, after his original owner died.

We got tips from the vet and a dog trainer we are familiar with.

We tried everything but he always yearned to do something for my husband, and every time my husband moved he would move with him.

If my husband left to go out, he would turn to me and wait for me to move and want to help.

I started carrying him with me to show him he didn't have to perform any chore for us, and we would tell him to stay, and that he didn't have to get up, and that it was his time to relax.

He did like when I carried him! 😀

We were also told to expose him to lots of people and other dogs. We would allow them to pet him and show him affection, and play so that he would get intergrated into regular life.

He was older when we got him and set in his ways. He got somewhat better as time passed, and I think he finally realized he didn't have to work for us!

But honestly, never truly seemed to relax.

Jake just passed this March 7. He was 17 and 3 months and we had him 3 1/2 years.

We we're really lucky to have this special guy!

I miss him so much! ♥️