More from Prevention: 2 Minutes to a Happier YouIt’s gratifying for dog owners too. Just ask Janet Cundari, who visits the Westchester Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Unit in Valhalla, NY, with her sheltie, Karly. Cundari’s payoff is knowing she’s making a difference in someone’s life. “When we arrive, the patients look sad,” says Cundari, who is also the treasurer of Heart Pet Programs, a nonprofit that trains therapy teams. “But then they start interacting and asking me questions about Karly and become completely animated. It’s as if they’re escaping their problems, even if only for a short time. How much better does it get than that?“Share The LoveThink you and your dog would make a good therapy team? Here’s what you need to consider.
Temperament beats breed or size. “The dog must love receiving attention from people, including strangers,” says Rachel McPherson, executive director of the Good Dog Foundation, which supports teams at more than 290 facilities. Dogs usually must be at least 1 year old. They can work for as long as they’re healthy.To register with a national group, you and your dog will likely have to pass an in-person exam to test your dog’s responses to your commands and how she fares in situations such as meeting a person in a wheelchair. Some evaluation criteria are posted online; use them to judge your chances.If you and your dog won’t ace the test right away, Pet Partners lists local groups online with therapy-dog training programs that typically last 5 to 16 weeks and cost $100 to $300.
Check out these three leading therapy-dog organizations:
Pet Partners petpartners.org Therapy Dogs therapydogs.com Therapy Dogs Intenational tdi-dog.org
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