Want to join us?
Every registered therapy dog who joins us, undergoes an assessment. This is carried out at a time and place convenient to both assessor and prospective volunteer member and their dog. We ask you and your pal to do this so we are sure they have the right nature and characteristics to be an excellent therapy dog and hold the title of canine pal. We are really not bothered what breed, size, shape or colour your dog is (apart from the legally banned breeds in the UK) everyone is welcome to apply!
We suggest that your dog is at least a year old before applying to join us. We've no upper age limit either, sometimes maturity has benefits. As long as you and your canine pal have been together for six months, you're welcome to apply to join us.
So what to expect from the assessment.
Meet and greet
Once you meet your assessor, your assessment will start! Your assessor will look at the relationship you and your canine pal have. They will see that they can walk sensibly on the lead and not pull you around in all directions. Your dog needs to wear their smartest collar and lead to impress. Often the people we visit like to go on walks too so we double lead.
Getting to know
you both
Your assessment will take about 20 minutes so your canine pal will have to hang around showing how good they are at just sitting, standing or laying down whilst two humans chat.
The assessor will make sure that your dog is happy with this and all the noise and activity around.
Responding to a loud noise
The assessor will drop an object about 2 metres away from the dog which will make a noise.
You dog may acknowledge the noise but we hope that's all they do, often there are loud noises and therapy dogs must be able to work through any noise.
Getting to know
you both
Your assessment will take about 20 minutes so your canine pal will have to hang around showing how good they are at just sitting, standing or laying down whilst two humans chat.
The assessor will make sure that your dog is happy with this and all the noise and activity around.
Brush up well!
Show your assessor how smart you both are! Showcase yourself and your pal to the assessor. We always want to show our dogs off and especially when we are visiting. A well-groomed dog and human show us that you have a special bond, ideal for becoming a canine pal and volunteer member. We will ask you to give your dog a little brush to show how much they love you.
Snack time and
not snack time!
We would like to see your canine pal have a snack. Whilst visiting, people like to treat our dogs but we don't want any land sharks! We will give your dog a treat and hope we can still count to five. Please bring your favourite snack for your dog to show off their skills. Bonus points if they can catch it too! We will also ask you to perform a 'leave it' task just in case any medication is ever dropped in front of your dog.
Head, paws, ears and tail
People love to touch, hug and shake paws with our pals so we need to make sure that they are fine with that. The assessor will play head, ears, paws and tail with your dog just to check they are ok with that and that you've been manicuring their nails too.
Don't panic!
Sometimes whilst we are visiting there is a minor emergency. This might be a wheelchair banging a door, or a child running by, or even a fire alarm. this is the time we need to be close to our dogs and keep them calm whilst under control. We will ask you to perform an emergency exit turn with your dog held close by their collar. Your assessor will explain.
Perfect behaviour
So hopefully your canine pal will have been on their best behaviour and not jumped up at you or the assessor and not barked excessively at anything.
The assessor will give you an indication of how you've done by reading what they have recorded, then we ask you to sign if you agree it was a fair assessment.
fingers and paws crossed!
Click that button!
If you think your partnership is up to it, please contact us to arrange an assessment.
We have people happy to assess including vets, dog trainers and our own assessors.
If you have any further question, just hit that button and email us!
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