Pet Partners Therapy Animal program • Frequently Asked Questions
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If you still have a question or comment, please contact one of our volunteer customer service representatives at volunteering@petpartners.org.
How do I get started to become a Therapy Animal team?
Where do I get the Therapy Animal Registration Packet?
What is the Pet Partners Therapy Animal program?
Is a Pet Partners Therapy Animal team specially trained?
Could my animal be a Therapy Animal?
What animals are involved as Therapy Animals?
Can wild, exotic and wolf-hybrids be Therapy Animals?
Can puppies and kittens become Therapy Animals?
Is any particular breed of dog better than another?
What are the health screening requirements to participate?
Are Pet Partners Therapy Animals certified or registered?
Does the Pet Partners Therapy Animal program provide volunteer insurance?
Is there professional liability coverage for Pet Partners Therapy Animal teams?
What is "Pet Therapy?"
What is the difference between service and therapy animals?
What is Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy?
What types of healthcare facilities have visiting animals?
What is an Affiliate?
Can people in hospitals catch diseases from animals?
How much does it cost to register as a Pet Partners team with Delta Society?
How do I report an incident?
Who do I contact to troubleshoot an issue?
How do I get started to become a Pet Partners Therapy Animal team?
Visit this webpage, How to become a registered Pet Partners Therapy Animal team.
Where do I get the Therapy Animal Registration Packet?
The registration packet is not listed on our website. The registration packet can be found in the back of the Pet Partners Therapy Animal Team Training Manual which you will receive through a workshop. You will also be able to print out a registration packet after completing our online Therapy Animal handler course. All new Therapy Animal handlers must complete a Pet Partners Therapy Animal workshop (preferred) or the online Therapy Animal Handler course before filling out the registration packet and being evaluated.
The renewal packet is listed in our members only section and can only be used by current Therapy Animal teams or by teams that have been lapsed for less than 12 months.
What is the Pet Partners Therapy Animal program?
The Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program enables pet owner volunteers to provide services to people in their own communities while spending quality time with their pets. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Is a Pet Partners Therapy Animal team specially trained?
Pet Partners trains human volunteers and screens and evaluate person-pet teams for participation in visiting animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and schools. Training for volunteers is provided through hands-on workshops taught by Pet Partners licensed instructors or through our online Pet Partners Therapy Animal Handler course. Volunteers and their pets are then evaluated for skills and aptitude by Pet Partners licensed team evaluators.
Could my animal be a Therapy Animal?
Yes, if your animal is controllable, reliable, and predictable. Your animal should also have good manners in public places, and have the social skills to seek out and visit with strangers. The Pet Partners Therapy Animal program is unique in that we look at both ends of the leash; you too must illustrate that you have the skills to work well with your animal and with clients and facilities that you will serve.
What animals are involved as Therapy Animals?
Pet Partners registers dogs and cats as well as other non-farm, domesticated animals such as rabbits, miniature horses, llamas, birds, etc.
Can wild, exotic and wolf-hybrids be Pet Partners?
There are several reasons why Pet Partners does not register wild or exotic animals such as snakes, ferrets, lizards, and wolf-hybrids. They are not legally acceptable as pets in many states. Without research documenting their behavior over time, we cannot evaluate their predictability and reaction to stress. Without adequate research documenting the transmission of diseases between people and these animals, we cannot evaluate the health risks of contact. However, Pet Partners is constantly expanding the range of species included in the Therapy Animal program - when such research results are available.
For more information about the prerequisites of becoming a Pet Partners Therapy Animal team, CLICK HERE.
Can puppies and kittens become Therapy Animals?
In regards to puppies and kittens, we applaud the good intentions of those groups wanting to bring animals and people together. Pet Partners' decision to set an age limit that visiting dogs and cats must be one year or older is based on the following:
- Puppies and kittens are actually very fragile. Animals under 12 weeks old do not have fully developed immune systems. Prolonged stress can lead to an immune system crash and subsequent illness.
- Puppies and kittens are prone to soiling or may vomit in their carriers. This not only makes the animal unhappy and unsuitable for the day's visiting, but also may condition the animal to become anxious whenever traveling.
- If puppies and kittens are part of a shelter, spending time away from the shelter can reduce the animal's opportunities for being adopted. Also, adoptable animals' behavior and health histories are generally unknown or incomplete.
- Puppies and kittens play "bite and scratch", and are not fully controllable and predictable which puts clients at risk and facilities liable.
Is any particular breed of dog better than another?
No, both mixed breeds and purebreds can excel at this work. What matters most is the individual animal's personality - that s/he likes people and has confidence in visiting strange places.
What are the health screening requirements to participate?
An overall exam is required to ensure that your animal is in good health to visit. There is often not a consensus of opinion among those in the veterinarian community about immunizations, and state laws with respect to rabies vaccinations vary. Rather than attempting to prescribe immunizations schedules for dogs and cats (other than compliance with state laws with respect to rabies vaccination), Pet Partners will rely on your veterinarian's medical judgment and knowledge of the animal's health history and status. We want to be assured that the animal's immunity levels are sufficient and that participation in Pet Partners Therapy Animal program will not harm it. Likewise, we need to be sure that Therapy Animals will not put seriously ill people at risk. Please also consider that visiting animals may be exposed to zoonotic agents because they visit people in healthcare facilities. Animals that visit people in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities need to be healthy, clean, and well mannered so that they pose little risk to patients. It is equally important to minimize risk to animals that may be exposed to zoonotic agents that could cause harm to an immune compromised, unhealthy, or highly stressed animal.
External parasite control will vary depending on your geographic area of the country. Internal parasite control will have some variation depending on your geographic area of the country. The Pet Partners Therapy Animal program requires annual fecal tests to check for internal parasites such as hook, whip, tape, and roundworms, etc.
Visit the Become a Pet Partners team: Step 2 section of this website to learn more.
Are Pet Partners Therapy Animals certified or registered?
Pet Partner Therapy Animal teams are registered, not certified. Certification implies that Pet Partners has participated in the handler's and the animal's training. Whereas registration requires training and screening, Pet Partners does not certify that the team is trained to a certain level. Instead, the team is registered as having met minimum requirements.
Does the Pet Partners Therapy Animal program provide volunteer insurance?
When acting as a volunteer for Pet Partners within the scope of your duties as a Therapy Animal volunteer, you and your pet are insured by Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance. That means that if either member of a team causes a loss at a location where the team is visiting, and that loss results in a claim for which Pet Partners is liable, Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance will defend and pay expenses of the claim.
Furthermore, Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance will be primary, i.e. it will provide coverage first. However, several notable exclusions exist. They are:
- Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance does not provide coverage for either member of a Therapy Animal team causing a loss to other Pet Partners volunteers. Such losses are the personal responsibility of the Therapy Animal handler.
- Losses caused by a Pet Partners Therapy Animal team are insured only to the extent of the limits of Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance. If a Therapy Animal team causes a loss that is in excess of the limits of Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance, excess losses are the personal responsibility of the Pet Partners Handler.
Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance does not provide coverage for losses that are caused by intentional acts or as a result of a Therapy Animal team acting outside the scope of Pet Partners volunteer activities. Such losses are the personal responsibility of the Therapy Animal handler.
As of January 1, 2012, Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance has a $4,000,000 total limit and a $2,000,000 limit per incident. That includes a medical expense limit of $10,000 for any one person. These limits may change.
The preceding is a general overview, and is for information purposes only. It does not create a contract or other legal obligation of Pet Partners, and may not be relied upon for that purpose. The details and precise language of the insurance policy must be examined to understand the extent of and limits upon Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance. Many of those details, some of which may be important or relevant - or which may give rise to exceptions to the general statements above - are not referenced in this overview.
If you have any questions regarding Pet Partners' commercial general liability insurance, please contact Pet Partners.
Is there professional liability coverage for Pet Partners Therapy Animal teams?
As a Pet Partners Therapy Animal Team, you will be covered on the Pet Partners insurance policy when you are doing volunteer work as a team. In cases where professionals are using animals in the context of their jobs, Pet Partners insurance does not provide coverage. It is important that you understand your coverage in case of an incident.
What is "Pet Therapy?"
The term "pet therapy" should be avoided because it is inaccurate and misleading. This term was widely used several decades ago to refer to animal behavior training programs. Today we use the terms "animal-assisted activities" or "animal-assisted therapy". These are the terms that human service providers and volunteers use when referring to the involvement of animals in human treatment programs. We do animal-assisted therapy when we work directly with a licensed healthcare or human service provider to help a patient meet specific goals. We do animal-assisted activities when we meet and greet people to brighten their day, or do a demonstration in front of a group of people.
For more information, visit our About AAA/T section of this website.
What is the difference between service and therapy animals?
A 'Service Animal' is defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act (federal law, 1990) as any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. This can include guide, mobility, sound alert, and medical alert/response work. Their work is handler-focused and benefits their handlers who have disabilities. Federal law generally permits qualified people who have disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in all places of public accommodation. Service animals are not considered "pets." For more information about service animals, check out the National Service Dog Center.
Therapy animals and their handlers are trained to provide specific human populations with appropriate contact with animals. They are usually the personal pets of the handlers and accompany their handlers to the sites they visit, but therapy animals may also reside at a facility. Animals must meet specific criteria for health, grooming and behavior. While managed by their handlers, their work is not handler-focused and instead provides benefits to others.
Therapy animals are usually not service animals. Federal law, which protects the rights of qualified individuals with disabilities, has no provision for people to be accompanied by therapy animals in places of public accommodation such as restaurants, grocery stores, or other places that have a "no pets" policies.
What is Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy?
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) * is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal is incorporated as an integral part of the clinical healthcare treatment process. AAT is delivered or directed by a professional health or human service provider who demonstrates skill and expertise regarding the clinical applications of human-animal interactions. Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) * provide opportunities for motivational, educational and/or recreational benefits to enhance a person's quality of life. AAA are delivered by a professional, para-professional or volunteer who demonstrates knowledge about animals and the human populations with which they interact.
*Terms, definitions, and descriptions for personnel involved in visiting and residential animal programs are quoted from "Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy" (Delta Society, 1996). This book is distributed internationally and is in use in many healthcare facilities.
For more information, visit our About AAA/T section of this website.
What types of healthcare facilities have visiting animals?
Nationally you will find virtually every kind of healthcare facility - acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, schools, day care, etc.
What is an Affiliate?
An affiliate is a group that formed to represent Pet Partners and the Therapy Animal Program in their community and has met specific criteria:
- Affiliates uphold the standards of the Therapy Animal Program.
- Affiliates provide workshops and evaluations for new and renewing therapy animal teams.
- Affiliates provide networking and mentoring for their teams.
- Affiliates work with facilities and assist with matching the right team for each facility.
- Affiliates hold events, give presentations to educate and inform their community about Animal-Assisted Interventions.
- Affiliates share their expertise and participate in the creation, development and piloting of materials and training.
- Affiliates are a key vehicle for furthering the mission of Pet Partners and the Therapy Animal Program.
For more information, please visit our Pet Partners Affiliate Groups page.
Can people in hospitals catch diseases from animals?
Some people think the animals that visit are cleaner than people who visit! Before animals can be registered as therapy animals, they must have a thorough veterinary checkup. In addition, it is the handler's responsibility prior to each visit to look for any signs of ill health or parasites, bathe and groom their animal, file toenails smooth, etc. Facilities welcome visiting therapy animals with open arms - as they are healthy, clean model citizens!
How much does it cost to register as a Therapy Animal Team with Pet Partners?
Pet Partners 2-year Therapy Animal Team registration fees are noted in the chart below.
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