Therapy Dogs??

Therapy Dogs are a wonderful help to both humans and to the dogs themselves.  A well trained therapy dog can assist the blind, deaf and people with seizure disorders to name a few. Dogs are also used in nursing homes, pediatric hospitals and even in schools to assist children with reading.

Being a Therapy Dog is a calling for some dogs; there are so many dogs in the world who need a "job". That is one reason dogs have so many behavior issues. They are bored. Many owners do not give them a job to do. Border Collies need sheep. Jack Russells need vermin.  A job in therapy allows dogs to utilitze their brains, which in turn tires them out. It is truly a win-win situation.

But what happens when someone calls their dog a "therapy dog" when that dog has not been properly trained or screened? It can be disasterous for all of the well trained, much needed dogs who help thousands of people every day.

I recently saw a story about a little girl with cancer, she has a "therapy" dog, it is German Shepherd. One day while the mother was visiting the neighbors with the dog, the dog jumped up and bit the neighbors daughter in the face. Previously the dog had nipped the neighbors son. This situation is horrible from all aspects. The poor girl with cancer loves her dog immensely. The neighbors now have two traumatized chlidren. And therapy dogs have a black mark.

As a mother, my heart goes out to the family of the girl with cancer. No mother wants to imagine her child going through that experience. But I am questioning whether the dog was actually a "therapy dog".  The dog may be of great help to the girl battling cancer, but unless the dog was throughly checked physically and behaviorally, the dog is not a true therapy dog.

The second incident was from an acquaintence of mine who's family member was traveling via plane for vacation. The family member recently acquired a Bernense Mountain Dog, this large breed of dog is generally between 80-120lbs. She, of course loves her dog, but her plan is to have her doctor write her a note which states that the dog is a "therapy dog" and needs to travel in the cabin with her. I am hopeful that her doctor is reasonable enough to not write this note. But who knows?

Therapy and/or service dogs are an important part of many peoples lives. They are a necessity for independence and often a life saving companion. If people go around calling all dogs service/therapy dogs, it take away the specialness of those who have been carefully selected and trained for service.

You may have a wonderful, special, intelligent and safe dog. But unless it is truly a trained therapy dog, it cannot carry that name. Let's not spoil it for those who truly need it.