Our Mission
To enhance the emotional well-being of others and brighten their lives with the love of our therapy dogs. It is our goal to educate people about our training, our experience and to set high standards in order to provide the best pet therapy experience for our patients, the staff and our therapy dogs. Above all, we want to share the unconditional love of our therapy dogs and improve the lives of others.
Become a Volunteer
Preparation
Building and maintaining confidence and trust is the most important preparation for a team. Strong socialization is also very important, followed by acclimatization to unusual sounds, sights, and odors. Among your preparatory activities, you might:
- Enroll in a basic obedience class and/or therapy dog course
- When selecting a trainer to help prepare you for becoming a visiting team, look for one who will help you recognize canine body language and signs of stress in your dog
- Find a class that is designed to help introduce your dog to the unusual sights, sounds, and smells encountered during therapy dog visits
- Expose your dog to places where there are a lot of people, such as parks or a pet store – obtain permission first if necessary
- Ask a visiting therapy dog group in your area if there is an orientation or special event you may attend without your dog
Canine Talent and Skills
The dog must be willing to initiate contact with unfamiliar people and have good social skills and manners. Most organizations require dogs to be at least one year old. The dog should be able to:
- Reflect cleanliness and appropriate grooming including teeth, ears, and nails
- Demonstrate basic obedience commands in the midst of distractions:
- Sit, Down, Stay, & Come on command
- Walks on leash loosely without pulling
- Greet people politely, without jumping or mouthing, and calmly accept petting from strangers
- Remain well controlled around other dogs
Handler’s Skills
The handler must enjoy being around people, be friendly and polite, and have good visiting manners. He or she should be able to:
- Demonstrate active listening skills when communicating with different populations
- Understand and follow rules of patient confidentiality
- Demonstrate wheelchair etiquette and proper terminology regarding people with disabilities
- Understand infection control issues
- Supervise the dog closely at all times
- Direct the dog for convenient positioning
- Provide documentation as requested that the dog is in good health and free from parasites
If you would like to join K9 Connection, please contact us.
Volunteer Spotlight
