What Do ‘Therapy Dogs’ Do?

In the BlogPaws Community there is much discussion on “what is a therapy dog”? Many individuals have been noticing that you can simply go on line and purchase a vest that labels your dog a “therapy” or “service” dog without any of the training that true therapy and service dog go through.

This not only negates the training the pets and their owners have gone through but it blurs the line when it comes to establishments allowing service dogs in (which they are required to do). We found this post over at The Daily Junior Blog which reads, in part:

“Today, it’s not unusual to encounter friendly therapy dogs and their human handlers walking the corridors of hospitals and health care facilities. The physical and psychological benefits of the human-animal bond are increasingly recognized as helpful to patients, families and hospital staff.

My retired therapy dog Junior and I have been on both the giving and receiving end of the comfort and healing of a therapy animal visit in a hospital. We believe in the benefit of animal assisted activity for comfort and healing.

But lately, I have been thinking that Therapy Dogs may have a name problem…”

The use of the term “therapy dog” has many connotations today and because of that it has become a rather generic term applied to a wide range of services that dogs perform and provide for their owners.

We urge you to read this post about therapy dogs. We’d love to know your thoughts.

(Shutterstock: Disabled Vet and his service dog)