By Sam Piha
There is a growing concern regarding the mental health of young people as we are seeing an increase in anxiety and depression. Some say this is due to a number of factors, including the COVID pandemic, regional wars, climate change and the latest threat of deportation. One solution is the introduction of therapy dogs to afterschool programs. Below are responses to an interview we did with Mary Margaret Callahan, the Chief Mission Officer for Pet Partners, an organization that has registered and supported thousands of volunteer therapy animal teams who have made millions of meaningful visits around the world that help improve the physical, social, and emotional lives of both the people and animals involved.
Q: How would you define "therapy dog"? And how are they different from service dogs?
A: A therapy dog is an animal that can provide physical, psychological, and emotional benefits to those they interact with, typically in facility settings such as healthcare, assisted living and schools. These pets are evaluated on their ability to safely interact with a wide range of populations, and their handlers are trained in best practices to ensure effective interactions that support animal welfare. Therapy animal handlers may volunteer their time to visit with their animals in the community, or they may be practitioners who utilize the power of the human-animal bond in professional settings.
The best way to contrast therapy dogs and service dogs is to think about their relationship with others. Therapy dogs have a one-to-many relationship with people – a single therapy dog may interact with, support or benefit a number of people. For example, a therapy dog in a school setting may interact with dozens of children, faculty and staff over the course of a day. A service dog, on the other hand, has a one-to-one relationship with the individual they support. For example, a seeing eye dog helps a single individual with visual impairment. And unlike service dogs, a therapy animal has no special rights of access, except in those facilities where they are welcomed.
Q: How are therapy dogs in the classroom effective? How are they utilized?
A: Therapy dogs have a wide variety of benefits in the classroom. They have been very popular in read aloud programs for years where there is no judgement for mispronunciation or words stumbled over. Additionally, therapy animals provide emotional support by reducing stress and anxiety, such as during midterms and finals weeks on high school and college campuses. They also can broadly enhance mood and well-being with visits from a therapy dog being a highlight of the week for students and even help improve school attendance.
The presence of therapy animals can also promote social development, fostering positive interactions between students and promoting empathy and compassion. Academically, the presence of therapy animals can be motivational and there are studies which suggest improved focus and attention by students in classrooms where therapy dogs are present.
Therapy animals can be incorporated into school settings both formally and informally, depending on the goals of the teacher or staff person. Informal activities like meet and greets may be ideal for stress relief sessions, whereas creating lesson plans that involve the therapy dog would be a formalized way to enhance learning outcomes.
Q: While it is possible to contact organizations to visit with their dogs, we believe that many afterschool workers who have dogs that may qualify, may want to bring them to their program. Can you comment on this?
A: If you have an affiliative dog with good basic obedience skills with whom you have a strong bond or relationship yourself, you may be a candidate to become a therapy animal team. It’s important to realize that handling your own dog in a work setting means you’re responsible for both the students in your program and the wellbeing of your dog, so it does take training and preparation for you as the handler too, not just your dog.
Q: What would be the requirements that future therapy dogs should have?
A: Future therapy dogs should:
- Be physically and socially mature, typically at least 1 year of age for dogs,
- Be in good physical health with no acute or chronic health conditions and be vaccinated against rabies,
- Have a strong bond with their handler and be responsive to their handler’s direction and support,
- Have basic obedience skills, and
- Most importantly - welcome, not merely tolerate, interactions with strangers.
It’s important to recognize we’re asking our pets to participate in this activity. A good therapy dog loves what they do. If you have to cajole, bribe, or force your animal to be a therapy dog, not only are you damaging the relationship you have with your pet, but you’re also putting yourself, your animal and your program at risk for an incident or injury.
Future handlers must be able to:
- Read your pet’s body language, recognizing approaching and avoidant behaviors,
- Anticipate your pet’s response in different situations and set them up for success at all times,
- Guide interactions, always advocating for the safety and well-being of your pet,
- Interact with your pet positively, supporting them as needed, and
- Cue or redirect your pet gently and effectively, without force or coercion.
Behind every great therapy dog is a handler who is vigilant about ensuring their animal’s welfare and enjoyment of therapy animal work. These handlers have a strong trust-based relationship with their animal. When your dog trusts that you always have their best interests at heart because you actively ‘listen’ to their body language and support them, they will be confident in interacting with others, even if something unusual or unexpected happens.
Q: Should dog handlers get insurance?
A: Absolutely. In today’s litigious society, you should be sure you are protected in the event of real or perceived errors or accidents. It’s worthwhile noting that even if nothing really did go wrong and you or your animal were not at fault, someone can still sue you and you’ll still need insurance to pay for your defense. Volunteer therapy animal programs should offer insurance coverage (always ask), but if you are incorporating your dog into your paid work, you’ll need separate insurance coverage.
Q: In your experience, how should the afterschool program work in coordination with the school when introducing a therapy dog and communicating with parents?
A: Starting a therapy animal program involves a lot of pre-work. You’ll want to talk through risk assessment, assuring your school administration that the handler and therapy animal are well prepared and can safely interact with students. You’ll likely need to develop plans for parental permission as well as how to manage students with allergies or fears. You may also be interested in creating behavior contracts with students so they understand the expectations of how they’ll interact respectfully with and near a therapy dog. It’s also important to set expectations with administration, parents and students that the therapy dog has agency and some days visits may be cut short or cancelled because that’s what is in the best interest of the animal. Good preparation and creating buy- in with the administration and parents will go a long way to launching a successful therapy animal program.
MORE ABOUT...
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| Mary Margaret Callahan |
Mary Margaret Callahan is the Chief Mission Officer for Pet Partners, where she is responsible for leading mission delivery, including the Therapy Animal Program and grassroots advocacy program. As an animal lover with a background spanning education and health care, Mary Margaret couldn’t be more delighted to find herself at the nexus of her interests and experience working to improve human health and well-being through the power of the human-animal bond.
The daughter of a veterinarian, Mary Margaret grew up surrounded by pets and has a deep appreciation for the strength of the human-animal bond. She joined Pet Partners in 2013 and has worked to establish the organization as both an influencer and a resource within the animal-assisted intervention (AAI) and human-animal bond (HAB) community. In 2018 she was named one of PetAge Magazine’s Women of Influence. Mary Margaret lives on a small farm outside Seattle with her husband, daughter, and menagerie of animals including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, chickens, goats, and miniature donkeys.
Since 1977,
Pet Partners has registered and supported thousands of volunteer therapy animal teams who have made millions of meaningful visits around the world that help improve the physical, social, and emotional lives of both the people and animals involved. Their therapy animal for workplace program is available nationwide with the help of their dedicated therapy animal volunteers!
