Are there universal standards for therapy dogs?

[Tiddlypom]

Are there Therapy Dogs (trained, assessed, insured) as well as unregulated therapy dogs? What regulations cover these?

I’m pretty boggled about a young pup being regularly taken into a primary school to interact with pupils. I can’t imagine the primary school where I was a parent governor sanctioning that. An older fully trained, registered and assessed dog, yes quite possibly, but not a puppy.

The go fund me request threads have wisely been taken down.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I share your concerns. The youngest age stipulated by a certifying organisation is nine months, ranging right up to 18 months for others.

 

[I'm Dun]

I have super sweet, easy going dogs that love kids, and neither off them would be doing that, not even as mature dogs, never mind as 6month old puppies. Its mind boggling that someone would take a young puppy into a school full of young children. At 6 months old they are babies, still do impulsive silly things, don't always stop to think things through and would probably be fairly excited and a bit wild about the whole thing at that age

 

[Equi]

deleted.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

In the UK there is no single overarching certification for it. There are various organisations which offer certification/registration but no legislation covering it so far as I am aware; it is a similar state of affairs with 'service dogs' (and some of the alleged service dogs I have encountered have been an embarrassment to witness). IMO it's a mess that endangers not only animal welfare, but vulnerable people, as well as opening owners up to being sued - and organisations that allow these animals into their settings - were anything to go wrong.

edited for clarity but it's still word salad

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Again, phrased terribly, hope it's halfway comprehensible what I'm trying to say: sadly it's a bit of a free-for-all.

 

[skinnydipper]

I have super sweet, easy going dogs that love kids, and neither off them would be doing that, not even as mature dogs, never mind as 6month old puppies. Its mind boggling that someone would take a young puppy into a school full of young children. At 6 months old they are babies, still do impulsive silly things, don't always stop to think things through and would probably be fairly excited and a bit wild about the whole thing at that age

The pup on the GFM thread has been going into school from 12 weeks of age. Far too young, a baby.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

The pup on the GFM thread has been going into school from 12 weeks of age. Far too young, a baby.

SD, you'll know more about this than anyone: I know a 12 week old could be vaccinated, but would its immune system actually be functioning at full throttle?

 

[skinnydipper]

SD, you'll know more about this than anyone: I know a 12 week old could be vaccinated, but would its immune system actually be functioning at full throttle?

I'm just going by what the owner said on a thread elsewhere on the forum.

I don't think I misunderstood the post.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

I'm just going by what the owner said on a thread elsewhere on the forum.

I don't think I misunderstood the post.

oh no I wasn't meaning that specific dog. I mean twelve week old puppies generally (I've never had a dog that young). Sorry it's a bit of a tangent

 

[skinnydipper]

SD, you'll know more about this than anyone: I know a 12 week old could be vaccinated, but would its immune system actually be functioning at full throttle?

I definitely don't know more than anyone .

Having just looked it up , I can tell you that the canine immune system fully matures from about 6 months.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Ohhh, so twelve weeks is still an immune baby too. Thank you. ...Not to mention mentally immature. So definitely not an ideal candidate for meet and greet with loads of children.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I think Pets as therapy is regulated, but no idea about unregulated!

 

[cauda equina]

I was just about to say Pets as Therapy
A friend had a lovely Rhodesian ridgeback who was a PAT dog

 

[Wishfilly]

The situation with dogs in schools is pretty concerning to me- there are some great therapy dogs which go into schools and really help students. There are also a lot of teachers/school staff who want to bring their dogs into school, and in many cases, it isn't suitable. I also think in a lot of cases, it puts the dog at risk too.

I think it's something where there should be universal standards and guidance.

 

[TheresaW]

Our Toby is generally like Tigger on speed. Out and about on walks, we’ve met a few young people in wheelchairs etc, some quite disabled. We have been asked if they could say hello, and we’ve always warned he’s a bit lively. Twice, he’s been so calm, approached and stood stock still while being stroked and fussed. He seems to know when to be quiet and tone it down.

I’m pretty sure he may make a good PAT dog, but at 27kg, not something we would ask of him.




He was picked up as a stray, but came to us with absolutely no issues. If he wasn’t such a lump, maybe we would consider it.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Are there Therapy Dogs (trained, assessed, insured) as well as unregulated therapy dogs? What regulations cover these?

I’m pretty boggled about a young pup being regularly taken into a primary school to interact with pupils. I can’t imagine the primary school where I was a parent governor sanctioning that. An older fully trained, registered and assessed dog, yes quite possibly, but not a puppy.

The go fund me request threads have wisely been taken down.

Good!

 

[FieldOrnaments]

this is a direct copy-paste from the Things that Annoy you thread - but for me, people asking for money for their personal pets veterinary treatment is number one:

Animals are a luxury; you do not need them. When you take on responsibility for that life, you take on responsibility for all of it, including the messy, ugly, hard bits: accidents in the house, training, vets' fees, euthanasia, all of it.
Asking for others to fund your own personal pet's veterinary costs is akin to choosing to have alloy wheels on your car, then expecting others to pay for it when you dent them on the kerb, because you're a therapist or a teacher or a doctor and do good for other people.
Animal ownership is a choice, one you haven't made under duress and not one you can farm out to others when it gets a bit rough, or a bit expensive. If you aren't prepared to take full responsibility for ALL costs, don't get the pet; just because the animal benefits others, doesn't mean others should cough up for the costs of its care.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

The situation with dogs in schools is pretty concerning to me- there are some great therapy dogs which go into schools and really help students. There are also a lot of teachers/school staff who want to bring their dogs into school, and in many cases, it isn't suitable. I also think in a lot of cases, it puts the dog at risk too.

I think it's something where there should be universal standards and guidance.

I would be very surprised if the school's insurance covers more than an occasional visit for a specific purpose if that.
I'm afraid that a student teacher is hardly in a position to be challenging/setting school policies, including Safeguarding, by introducing an untrained, unregistered 'therapy' dog.
Having said that, I feel sorry for the poor animal and hope that the family can find a way to afford appropriate treatment.

 

[skinnydipper]

The owner said that the puppy comforted dysregulated children. I don't think it is fair to ask the puppy to cope with this.

Dogs pick up on human emotions (emotional contagion) and it can negatively affect the dog.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

What some folk don't realise is that standard pet insurance policies do not cover your dog in the workplace, in particular the public liability part of most policies. (So biting, scaring visitors or staff by even just being there, eating items such as cables, furniture, fouling, etc etc).

My bosses are very dog tolerant and we have 4 dogs that come in, rarely at the same time, all in different parts of the building.
However, we have each been told that any transgression whatsoever means the dog is removed immediately and permanently, including annoying whining or barking.

 

[ycbm]

I would be very surprised if the school's insurance covers more than an occasional visit for a specific purpose if that.
I'm afraid that a student teacher is hardly in a position to be challenging/setting school policies, including Safeguarding, by introducing an untrained, unregistered 'therapy' dog.
Having said that, I feel sorry for the poor animal and hope that the family can find a way to afford appropriate treatment.

Just in case anyone does remember the name of the person who posted I want to repeat what I said on the thread, that I know her personally. She is the most caring person you could possibly wish to meet and I'm absolutely certain that she did not make a unilateral decision to take her dog into the school where she was a teaching assistant and is now training to become a qualified teacher. She was asked to make that transfer as a result of her achievements in the assistant role, and thought long and hard before agreeing to take it on. I'm certain she is neither challenging nor setting school policies.

I don't have any experience to comment on the dog, but the person is a diamond and the world would be a better place if there were more of her.
.

 

[Ceifer]

Just in case anyone does remember the name of the person who posted I want to repeat what I said on the thread, that I know her personally. She is the most caring person you could possibly wish to meet and I'm absolutely certain that she did not make a unilateral decision to take her dog into the school where she was a teaching assistant and is now training to become a qualified teacher. She was asked to make that transfer as a result of her achievements in the assistant role, and thought long and hard before agreeing to take it on. I'm certain she is neither challenging nor setting school policies.

I don't have any experience to comment on the dog, but the person is a diamond and the world would be a better place if there were more of her.
.

It’s good to have that clarification.

Why wasn’t the puppy insured would he the question id ask.

 

[Annette4]

There are several charities in the UK who support with therapy dogs (PAT is only one). Each are insured but with strict guidance about that (I.e. cannot go round a visit without a member of staff etc), behavioural assessments for therapy dogs are undertaken, reference checks for volunteers and a minimum age limit for therapy dogs.

I'm also aware of companies that offer to 'train' therapy dogs then charge establishments for visits and of course the 'personal' therapy dogs.....none of which are regulated and I highly doubt insured (since normal pet dog insurance does not cover working and therapy visits are classed as working).

I personally don't think the later is ethical and they should not be engaged by organisations but while it remains unregulated there is little which can be done and it feels like an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Jenko109]

I'm another who gets infuriated by people asking for money for their vets fees.

Take out insurance. If for any reason your insurance cannot cover a particular treatment, then you need to decide to either suck it up and put yourself in a bit of debt (assuming there are no savings) or have the animal PTS.

£7500 on a loan over five years is less than £150 a month.

 

[skinnydipper]

I'm another who gets infuriated by people asking for money for their vets fees.

Yeah, but if anybody has a burning desire to pay someone else's vet bills be sure to let me know.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I only saw the GFM post briefly so I can't remember exactly what it said, but for me there is a difference between taking your dog/puppy into work informally and this bringing some joy/brightness/sense of wellbeing to people in that setting and a dog which is trained as a therapy dog. I do think this is relevant when setting up a fundraiser which did not make this apparent initially.

I think there is also a bigger conversation here about using dogs for therapeutic purposes and what this should look like. I share the reservations about using dogs for emotion regulation purposes, both for the dog and the person they are there for.

I don't think any of this takes away from the person who posted it being a lovely person and well thought of education professional.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I'm sure the lady in question is a very kind person, but a six month old puppy cannot, to my mind, be described as a therapy dog, in the same way as a toddler cannot be described as a company CEO.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

I'm not sure how relevant their being a kind person is really. A dog that young isn't physically or mentally mature enough to be a therapy dog (lack of clear regulation on it aside) and nor is it responsible to ask strangers to pay for treatment for your own personal pet: these would be true if the owner were mother teresa or a palm oil farmer who's 9-5 job was torching the Amazon.

As an aside, I do worry about the owner's safety aspect of it as well. You don't know the people donating and could end up opening yourself to blackmail (e.g. 'I donated to your fundraiser therefore you now must.....'
It's potentially quite far fetched but given how far reaching the internet is, is it ever possible to discount these things.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Just in case anyone does remember the name of the person who posted I want to repeat what I said on the thread, that I know her personally. She is the most caring person you could possibly wish to meet and I'm absolutely certain that she did not make a unilateral decision to take her dog into the school where she was a teaching assistant and is now training to become a qualified teacher. She was asked to make that transfer as a result of her achievements in the assistant role, and thought long and hard before agreeing to take it on. I'm certain she is neither challenging nor setting school policies.

I don't have any experience to comment on the dog, but the person is a diamond and the world would be a better place if there were more of her.
.

I'm sure that she is lovely and well-meaning but I am very sceptical that the pup has been into school more than a handful.of times, if that.
Children do not usually become 'disregulated' to a timetable, so if the dog were genuinely to be used as a therapy dog to calm the children, it would have to be on site all the time. If the need for the dog could be predicted, there would be no need for the dog, iyswim.
I feel extremely sorry for the dog and the family which find themselves in this unfortunate position and think that the breeder needs to be notified, so that at the very least that sire and dam are never used again to breed from.
However I would think that the student teacher is risking bringing the school into disrepute by setting up a GFM begging page. I don't know who she is and I have absolutely no intention of trying to find out but if one person on here can identify her, I bet others can. I'm glad the page has been taken down.

There are a few lessons to be learned from this story, I feel. The first being make sure that you are prepared to pay unexpected vet bills when you take an animal on. The second being, try not to discuss your employer online or involve them in your own private business.