The Pet Partners training course, which is the first step to become a Pet Partner, is for the human side of the therapy team. A therapy team consist of the human and their pet. The course is a one-day interactive workshop taught by Pet Partners licensed instructors.
Handlers will learn the necessary skills for successful visiting, what to watch for in your animal while visiting, and what’s involved in the team evaluation.
There will be experienced handlers present to answer questions and registered therapy dogs to observe in various visiting situations.
When you become a member of Dogs On Call, Inc., you won’t be stranded on your own.First, there’s a mentoring program to make sure you are comfortable doing visits with your therapy animal.
We stay connected with a quarterly newsletter, members-only page on the DOC website, knowledgeable program coordinators to help you, and frequent emails about upcoming visits and events.
You can connect with other therapy animal teams by participating in fun group visits, events, and the annual picnic.
Read With Me is the Pet Partners’ program where any therapy animal – dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, mini-horse, or even a llama – can participate to help children build their reading skills. This program works to improve a child’s reading and communication abilities and gain confidence by making reading fun.
How does this program work? Children read individually to a therapy animal team. All Read With Me teams have been tested for health, safety, appropriate skills, and temperament. In addition, all teams will have participated in Dogs On Call Read With Me mentoring program.