Therapy Dogs for Facilities About Alliance of Researchers and experts agree that pets Therapy Dogs excel as therapeutic agents and that dogs are an antidote to depression. Studies have We are a volunteer shown a decrease in both blood pressure and organization of dedicated stress levels during therapy dog visits. therapy dog handlers and their dogs on a mission of A visit from one of our therapy dog teams sharing smiles and joy. can break the daily routine, increase overall ATD’s goal is to provide emotional well-being, and stimulate the mind testing, registration, support, in dramatic ways. Our registered therapy Alliance of and insurance for members dogs offer so many wonderful benefits to who are involved in people of all ages. Therapy Dogs volunteer animal-assisted If your facility would like to start a therapy activities. These activities dog program, Alliance of Therapy Dogs is at include, but aren’t limited to, your service. Best of all, there is no cost to Sharing Smiles & Joy visits to hospitals, special your facility. needs centers, schools, nursing homes, and airports. Our objective is to form a Contact Us network of caring individuals Alliance of Therapy Dogs who are willing to share their special dogs to bring 877-843-7364 happiness and cheer to therapydogs.com people, young and old alike. Proudly Supported by the Petco Foundation What Makes a Good Therapy Dog? Our Human Members We look for well-mannered, well-behaved dogs We do not prioritize fundraising nor rely on that enjoy meeting people. ATD doesn’t require fundraising to succeed. None of the therapy formal training, certifications, or tests other than teams you see in action nor our testers who our own. ATD is open to register any breed of evaluate teams for registry are paid or dog except wolf or coyote mixes because the permitted to charge fees. Even our board of rabies vaccination is not proven to be effective directors is made up of volunteers who with those breeds. donate their time to our mission. Our only paid employees are our office staff. This keeps • A dog at least one-year-old; our membership costs low and allows us to • A calm and gentle disposition; and provide therapy dog services at no cost to Caring People & Sweet Dogs facilities that we visit. ATD provides testing, registration, support, • A dog that is attentive to its handler and insurance for members who volunteer with dogs to visit hospitals, special needs centers, schools, nursing homes, and other Our Unique Testing Process facilities. We’re a network of caring Unlike other therapy dog organizations, we volunteers who are willing to share our have a unique testing process that involves special canines to bring smiles and joy to handling your dog. Our testing is designed to people, young and old alike. make sure you and your dog have a good relationship with each other and that your dog Whether you and your dog are looking to has the right temperament for therapy dog become a registered therapy team or your work. After the test, a Tester/Observer (T/O) facility would like to start a therapy dog will monitor you and your dog during three program, Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) visits to facilities that include two visits to a is your #1 choice for pet therapy. medical facility. During these supervised visits, Where We Work the T/O will instruct you and your dog on the Affordable Registration art of visiting and give you advice and guidance Our teams provide therapy in many settings, Registration is very affordable. For $30 a year while observing you in action. If all goes well, the including but not limited to airports, nursing (plus an initial one-time $10 new member fee T/O will pass you and your dog and recommend homes, assisted living facilities, rehab facilities, and a $20 background check fee), a team can you for registration with ATD. mental health institutions, schools, hospitals, be registered with ATD and covered by our cancer centers, hospice facilities, college insurance in order to share in the mission of campuses and can also provide therapy in sharing smiles and joy with their dog. patients’ homes. ATD doesn’t restrict where our teams visit. .