CSM Outline for Animal Assisted Activities /or Therapy Class

What is Animal Assisted Therapy?> What is Animal Assisted Activities? > What is a Service Dog?> ****See “What is the Difference Between A Service Dog and A Therapy Animal?”

What are some of the Certifying Organizations for AAT.AAA?

National Groups: Delta Society Partners Program, 875 – 124th Ave. NE#101. Bellevue, Washington 98005-2531 Phone number (425)679-5500 Web-site- www.petpartners.org Local evaluators_ {Local contact} - Cathy Bones e-mail- [email protected] (Local contact)- Lyn Bellingheri e-mail- [email protected]

Alliance of Therapy - P.O. Box 20227 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003 Phone numbers, (877)843-7364 e-mail [email protected] Web-site www.Therapydogs.com

Therapy Dogs International – 88 Bartley Road Flanders, New Jersey 07836 Phone (973)252-9800 e-mail [email protected] Web-site- www.tdi-dog.org/ Local Groups:

Ohlone Humane Society - Fremont Info 510 792-4587 Ask for info about their “Animal Assisted Therapy Program”

Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services – P.O. Box 5099 San Jose, Ca. 95150-5099 Phone – 877 4FF-PATS e-mail – [email protected] Web-site- www.FurryFriends.org

Peninsula Humane Society- SPCA Burlingame ,Ca Website- PHS-spca.org Pet Assisted therapy contact- Brian Probst [email protected] Some organizations require annual recertification, others are bi- annual.

Examples of Places teams can make visits Convalescent Homes Rehab centers Senior Centers, Homes Libraries, schools, Reading Programs, schools, libraries Hospitals,

How to get evaluated for AAA, AAT. Contact the certifying agency of your choice, they will send you information regarding their rules and regulations for certifying your dog.

Dogs level of training. Dogs should have at least mastered basic obedience skills, such as sit, down, stay, come wait, heel and leave it, and possibly tricks and retrieving as well. ***Other skills you may need to have are, paws up (dog puts front paws on patient or bed or chair.) Dogs may be asked to sit on a chair beside the bed, or sit/lay down on the bed itself. If so, a towel or sheet should be placed on the bed to protect the bed linens from the dog. Dog should be comfortable being held and touched and brushede by another person other than the handler. . Dog should be able to do different behaviors when asked by people they do not know.

Dogs basic temperament,

****The dogs basic temperament is critical to success of being a good . He/she must enjoy interacting with other people they do not know, and comfortable being handled and or held by same. The dogs must not be sound sensitive, or protective of their owner or possessions. They must be under control of the handler at all times, not jumping on people or mouthing anyone. They should be very well socialized to many different types of environments, noises and objects. Dogs should enjoy their visits, but know the difference between working and having play time with the other dogs in the group.

Control by handler Dogs must be trained well enough that the handler is in control at all times. Dogs must not leap around out of control, and must never jump on a person, bed or chair without permission from the handler and the patient. Dogs should wait for an invitation to place front paws on a chair of bed to interact with people. Dogs will be able to sit on floor or bed or chair and visit with people. Dogs may place their head on patients lap for petting. Dog must be on a leash at all times. Handler is responsible for his dog at all times. Dogs should not be left unattended with other people. If a patient wants to walk dog, handler provides a second leash for patient.

Dogs preparation prior to each visit- Before each and every visit, dog must be freshly bathed, groomed, teeth cleaned, nails trimmed and smoothed. No perfumed shampoos or topical flea products should be used with in several days prior to a visit. Dogs health check annually Dogs must have annual vet checks with all recommended vaccines and vaccine. They must have semi or annual fecal test with a negative result. Requirements vary by organization and facility.

Equipment for dog, collars, harness, leashes Collars Dogs must wear good fitting buckle collar, quick release collar, quick release harness, martingale collar. Metal collars of any type are not acceptable. Slip collars are not acceptable. Electronic or citronella spray collars are not acceptable. Leashes Leashes must be made of fabric or leather. Traffic leads are acceptable for large dogs. **Flexi- leashes (retractable leashes) are not acceptable. Chain leashes are not acceptable.

Recognizing stress in your dog during a visit The handler is responsible for keeping your dog calm and comfortable. If your dog is panting it may be too warm, or it may be stressed by the visit. Look for other signs that it is uncomfortable with the visit, is it avoiding eye contact, or being touched? Is he trying to hide under a chair? Knowing how to read your dog is very important, as you are responsible for his care and well-bring. You may need to take a break from the visit and take your dog outside to relieve himself or to relax for a few minutes. You may need to cut the visit short if he is too stressed. This should be a fun experience for him, not stressful. However, in the first several visits, until he is comfortable with the location and/or the requirements of his job during the visit, be very observant to his state of mind and do not hesitate to take a break. It is usually somewhat stressful the first several times they make a visit. They also recognize when you are stressed, so try to be relaxed during visits.

Requirements for Handlers Dress Code Handlers must be clean, tidy and wear comfortable clothes. Clothes should be the type you would wear to work, conservative and with good body coverage. Long pants are best. No low cut tops, no bike shorts, no flip-flop shoes. Clothes should not have holes or ragged edges to them. Most facilities require closed toe shoes be worn. Do not wear perfumes or colognes. Remember that most facilities are kept warm, so plan your wardrobe accordingly.

Handlers awareness of surroundings and dogs safety Handlers are responsible for keeping their dog safe at all times. They should be aware of where their dog is and what is happening around them at all times. Wheelchairs can run over dog’s toes and tails very easily, so keep your eyes open for these types of things. Also handlers must be aware of others around them, keeping hallways clear, do not stop in the middle of the hall way to speak to others, go to the side and have your dog sit next to the wall. Medical equipment and carts are moved from place to place often, so dogs must be kept out of the way and should not be sensitive to loud noises. Handlers ability to interact with people they don’t know.

Handlers may be responsible for initiating conversations with people they want to visit. If a person is in his room, and you are looking for patients to visit, you must first ask permission to enter and visit. Do not ask personal questions regarding their health condition. . It is not your business why he is in the facility or where he lives, or his medical condition. If they offer information to you, you must keep it confidential. Most facilities will prescreen which patients want to visit with a dog. Handlers should ask the patient’s permission to enter, as well as ask permission to place dog on chair or bed. You should introduce yourself, using first name only. Introduce your dog, telling the person his name and breed and age, and any other information about the dog that seems appropriate at the time. Photos of patients with or without dogs is prohibited unless the patient signs a legal release form authorizing the photo to be used for publication. However, Instant photos (Polaroid) can be taken and given to the patient with patient’s permission prior to taking the photo. Occasionally patients will become upset and may cry, remembering their past or current pets they miss. Be understanding and do not get upset yourself.

Handlers knowledge of hospital/facility regulations Each facility has it’s own rules and regulations that you must follow. Most require liability insurance coverage by teams. Sometimes they will have coverage for you. Usually they require a $1 million liability policy. Some organizations provide you with the liability coverage with your membership. They may want you to have photo id for yourself and your dog to be worn at each visit. You may have to take volunteer trainings for each facility annually. Your visits may be confined to certain areas of the facility, or you may be able to wander around and visit everyone. You will need to have annual or bi-annual TB testing done, with a negative result. Some facilities require a background check . You should not visit if you have a contagious condition or disease or open wound.

Requirements for Handlers by certifying organizations. General Details compiled from several organizations

Testing varies from organization to organization. Some only require an AKC (American Kennel Club) Canine Good Citizen Certificate. Others require their own test be done. **See Copies of several tests attached.

Min./Max ages of handlers, dogs

Again, this varies by organization. Handlers, 16 to 18 years of age and up without parental participation. 10 years of age with parent present (Delta society pet partners) Dog’s minimum age** (this is the age they can be evaluated, but not the best time for any dog to do this type of work, dogs are adolescents at this time and also go through fear periods at this age. **** It is better to have a mature dog participating in this activity .) Pet Partners rules also are: “ Dogs must have lived Lived with Handler at least 6 months, no protection or Schutzhund training is allowed.”

Registration fees for certifying organizations vary from $75.00 to $150.00 annually Delta Society Pet Partners requirements only below- ****Pet partners workshop * 8 hours and /or home study course. ****Pet Partners evaluation information: See website for complete information. ****Other organizations will have their own requirements for membership and certification. of handlers and dogs.

Types of conditions helped by AAT and AAA- physical problems such as walking, use of arms, hands, memory, cognitive skill, mood enhancement, and also has a calming effect.

Special information for visits with patients While visits with dogs can be very helpful to patients, we need to be especially careful how our dogs interact with them. Some patients have very thin skin and a slight scratch can cut their skin. If the patient has an injury or incision or tender area, we need to keep our dogs away from that area. So if you are going to approach the patient, be sure to ask where they want the dog to be, on their right, left or on floor or in their lap or bed. Some patients will only want to look at the dogs, others may want to pet only, and others may want to hold your dog. Some will welcome dog kisses, others will not. Do not let dogs lick patients without permission and do not let dogs lick open wounds or IV’s or bandages. Some patients will enjoy brushing your dog, it is best to have a brush MITT so that it is easy for them to use. A regular brush may be too hard to hold for some people. Dogs sometimes have a problem with drooling, if this is the case, please be sure to have a hand towel with you to wipe his mouth frequently. People to not like drool!!!! A small photo album with pictures of your dogs is a nice thing to share with people. If there is a language barrier, pictures are universal, needing no words. If you use treats for your dogs, be very careful that the dog takes the treats gently, and it is recommended that you do not let patients feed your dogs if there is any doubt about how the dog will take the treat. Treats should be small and non-greasy, and given to the dog in the palm of the hand, not at the fingertips. During visits to all facilities, there can be only 1 handler to 1 animal at any time, and dogs are never off leash. Dogs should be comfortable with items such as a Walker, wheelchairs, IV poles and people who talk, act look differently from others. Some patients might speak differently or have limited motion and pet dogs differently.

Dogs and Handlers Participating in AAA or AAT is Volunteer Status only; you cannot be paid for services or visits. A Therapy dog has no more rights for entering public places than a pet dog has. They cannot enter food establishments or public transportation without direct permission.