Can Therapy Dogs Go Anywhere? What Every Dog Lover Should Know

As a lifelong dog lover, I‘ve always been in awe of the many ways canines support human wellbeing. Among the most impactful are therapy dogs – special volunteers who bring comfort, affection and joy to people in hospitals, schools, nursing homes and other care facilities. If you‘re curious about these heroic hounds, you may wonder: Can therapy dogs go anywhere? The answer reveals just how much work these dogs put in to brighten lives.

How Therapy Dogs Are Different

First, let‘s clarify what sets therapy dogs apart from other helpful canines. Unlike service dogs, who are trained to perform essential tasks for one individual with a disability, therapy dogs interact with many different people in clinical and institutional settings. They also differ from emotional support animals, who provide companionship to one owner.

Therapy dogs are typically personal pets with calm, friendly, adaptable temperaments. With their handlers, they visit care facilities to offer comfort and encourage engagement. For example:

• In hospitals, therapy dogs motivate patients in rehab and provide a welcome distraction from pain and medical procedures. Studies show a 10-minute visit with a therapy dog can significantly reduce pain and distress in fibromyalgia patients.

• In schools and libraries, therapy dogs help children gain confidence reading aloud. One program found 3rd graders who read to dogs weekly for a year improved reading skills by 12-30% over those who didn‘t.

• In disaster response situations, therapy dogs support victims and emergency workers. After the 9/11 attacks, over 300 therapy dog teams worked at sites like Ground Zero offering a soothing presence.

• In nursing homes, therapy dogs provide sensory stimulation, ease loneliness, and encourage movement and socializing. Research shows animal interactions can significantly improve depressed mood and boost social behaviors in seniors with dementia.

Where Can Therapy Dogs Go?

Despite their important role, therapy dogs do not have the same broad public access rights as service dogs under laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Where therapy dogs can go is limited to places they are specifically invited and authorized.

Typically, therapy dogs can enter:

• Hospitals and other medical facilities
• Mental health centers and counseling offices
• Schools, libraries and universities
• Senior living facilities and hospice homes
• Airports and other transportation hubs
• Disaster relief sites

However, therapy dog access can vary widely by facility, city and state. Handlers must plan visits in advance, meet health/safety protocols, and respect all rules. Therapy dogs generally cannot enter:

• Restaurants
• Grocery stores and retail shops
• Hotels
• Workplaces
• Public transit

Even in pet-friendly places, therapy dogs are subject to the same rules and fees as pets unless given special permission. Institutions make case-by-case exceptions, but broad public access for therapy dogs is not yet standard practice.

A Day in the Life of a Therapy Dog

So what does a therapy dog‘s work look like up close? Let‘s follow Belle, a 3-year-old golden retriever, and her handler Mark through a day of visits:

8:00am – Belle gets a thorough brushing and teeth cleaning to be pristine for visits. Mark double checks his bag of supplies – poop bags, hand sanitizer, water bowl, dog treats, and Belle‘s therapy dog vest and ID badge.

9:00am – The pair arrives at a children‘s hospital for their first visit of the day. After checking in and confirming Belle is healthy, they stop in a playroom where young patients pet Belle and brush her fur. Belle sits patiently for each child. In patient rooms, Belle snuggles alongside kids in bed while Mark reads storybooks.

11:30am – During a break, Belle romps in the hospital‘s dog play yard while Mark chats with other handlers.

1:00pm – Next is an elementary school, where Belle sits with children as they read aloud to her. The kids give Belle big hugs and say how excited they are for her next visit. The school counselor tells Mark how students‘ confidence has grown since the reading program began.

3:30pm – The last stop is a senior living community. Belle greets residents in the common room where they pet her, reminisce about past pets, and take photos with her. In the Alzheimer‘s unit, Belle nuzzles a few lethargic residents, coaxing rare smiles. One nurse has tears in her eyes watching the tender interaction.

5:00pm – Tuckered out from a busy day, Belle naps on the car ride home. But she eagerly bounds inside the house, ready for dinner and playtime with her dog pals. Tomorrow, she‘ll bring more smiles to those who need it most.

The Ideal Therapy Dog

What makes a dog well-suited to therapy work? The ideal therapy dog is:

• Naturally calm and friendly
• Confident and adaptable to new people, sounds, places
• Responsive to basic obedience cues – sit, down, stay, come, leave it
• Able to focus and engage amid distractions
• Groomed, clean and healthy

While any breed can be a therapy dog, some of the most popular are:

• Golden retrievers
• Labrador retrievers
• Poodles and doodle mixes
• Cavalier King Charles spaniels
• Greyhounds
• Bichon frises

But it‘s a dog‘s individual personality that matters most. "A therapy dog needs to genuinely enjoy meeting people and be eager to interact," says Sarah Kerepesi, a pet therapy coordinator at Scripps Health in San Diego. "They also must be unflappable in the face of strange sounds, smells, and handling from unfamiliar people."

Becoming a Certified Therapy Dog

The path to becoming a therapy dog is rigorous, as it should be to ensure safety for all. The process typically involves:

1. Basic obedience training
2. Socialization to diverse people, places, and stimuli
3. Evaluation of health, temperament, and behavior by a veterinarian or certified dog trainer
4. Passing a therapy dog certification test demonstrating mastery of key skills
5. Registering with a reputable therapy dog organization for visits, insurance, and continuing education

"A therapy dog and handler are a team," says Kerepesi. "They both need training and must demonstrate the right skills and rapport before being approved to visit."

The Growth of Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs date back to World War II, when a Yorkshire terrier named Smoky accompanied nurses to comfort wounded soldiers. In the 1970s, several therapy dog organizations formed in the US, and the practice slowly spread.

Fast forward to today, and nearly 25,000 therapy dog teams are active across all 50 states through the nation‘s largest certifying organization, Pet Partners. Demand for therapy dogs is booming as more facilities experience the potent positive impacts. A few recent milestones:

• In 2019, Johns Hopkins Medical Center launched an in-house animal therapy program with nine dogs to comfort patients, visitors, and staff. Visits happen daily across the hospital.

• The non-profit group Crisis Response Canines dispatched 20 therapy dog teams to Uvalde, TX in May 2022 following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. The dogs provided a soothing, supportive presence to the grief-stricken community.

• In April 2022, the Pawtucket, RI police department swore in its first official therapy dog, a rescue named Brody. He‘ll help officers cope with job stress and build community relationships.

Challenges and Future of Therapy Dog Access

As much as therapy dogs are valued, handlers still face obstacles bringing them places. Susan Daynes, a veteran therapy dog handler in Seattle, has been turned away from places like restaurants, stores, and taxicabs despite having certification.

"The public doesn‘t always understand that therapy dogs don‘t have the same access rights as service dogs," she says. "We constantly have to educate and get prior approval for visits." Daynes says consistent nationwide standards for therapy dog credentials could help reduce confusion.

Liability and health concerns also limit therapy dog access. Some hospitals worry about the risk of patients‘ allergies or infections. However, research has found therapy dogs can be safely incorporated when protocols are followed. One study found only 1 in 2,400 hospital therapy dog visits resulted in any kind of health incident.

Broader public access for therapy dogs may develop over time with continued education, research, and advocacy. Establishing centralized standards for therapy dog training and certification could create a framework for facilities to follow. Insurance policies covering therapy dogs could help alleviate liability fears.

Creative ideas to expand therapy dog reach include:

• Virtual therapy dog visits via video call for remote comfort
• Therapy dog zones at airports to soothe frazzled flyers
• Office therapy dog programs to boost employee wellness
• Therapy dogs in family courtrooms to comfort children in legal proceedings
• College campus therapy dog events to ease student stress

The possibilities are vast, and interest is building. In a 2020 survey, 84% of US dog owners said they believe pets help reduce loneliness and 76% believe pets support mental health. Those numbers were even higher among 18-34 year-olds, suggesting therapy dogs will keep growing in demand.

The Love of a Therapy Dog

The healing power of therapy dogs stems from the special bond between canines and humans. For people struggling with illness, disability, mental health challenges, or other hardships, a therapy dog offers a profound sense of unconditional love and acceptance.

"In a therapy dog‘s presence, patients can forget about their pain or circumstances for a while and connect," says Daynes. "You see the tension and sadness lift from their faces. It‘s truly remarkable."

Or as one little boy battling leukemia put it after a therapy dog visited his hospital room: "I just feel safe and happy when the dog is here. Everything seems okay for a little while."

At the end of the day, that‘s what therapy dogs do best – they make everything seem okay for a little while. Whether it‘s an overjoyed child, an appreciative ER doctor, or a lonely senior, therapy dogs have a unique ability to brighten lives and provide a much-needed dose of pure love.

As a dog lover myself, I‘ve seen up close how therapy dogs make a difference. When my father was in hospice, a sweet black lab named Jessie would hop up on his bed and lay with him for hours. In the haze of illness, my dad‘s face still shone with delight whenever Jessie came. Those visits brought our whole family solace in a difficult time.

Knowing how meaningful therapy dogs are, I believe it‘s worth navigating the obstacles to help them reach more people in need of comfort. We must work together to create appropriate, safe ways to integrate these incredible animals wherever they can lift spirits and support healing.

To all the hardworking therapy dogs out there – and the dedicated humans who partner with them – thank you. Your love and devotion change lives every day. While you may not be able to go everywhere, the places you do go are forever better because you were there.