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What is Animal Assisted
Activity? |
Photo By Ross Taylor |
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What is Animal Assisted
Therapy? |
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Can I take my dog to
an extended care facility without being registered? |
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Why should my pet and I be evaluated
and certified? |
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Does Delta Society require classroom
instruction prior to Pet Partners Registration? |
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Does the age of the animal
matter? |
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Does the animal have to
be spayed / neutered? |
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Does my animal have to
have all its vaccinations? |
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What kind of animals can
provide Animal Assisted Therapy? |
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How do I know if my animal
is suited for therapy work? |
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Can I get involved with
Tails of Joy without a pet? |
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Can I get paid for providing
AAA or AAT? |
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What is the difference
between service, therapy, companion, and “social” animals? |
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What does it mean that
Tails of Joy is a 501(c)(3) organization? |
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How much does Tails
of Joy charge for visits? |
Answers |
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What is Animal Assisted Activity?
AAA is the casual “meet-and-greet” activity that involves pets
visiting people. The same activity can be repeated with many people, unlike
a therapy program that is tailored to a particular person or medical condition.
Delta Society Pet Partners
Team Training Course Manual, 5th Edition, December
2000.
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to list |
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What is Animal Assisted Therapy?
AAT is goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific
criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. Goals can by physical,
educational, motivational or mental health oriented. In addition to goals,
AAT programs measure the individual’s progress.
Delta Society Pet Partners
Team Training Course Manual, 5th Edition, December
2000.
Return
to list |
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Can I take my dog to an extended
care facility without being registered?
You can, but that is not advisable. You and your dog should be evaluated
by a trained evaluator. Registration also eliminates the risk of not having
the proper insurance.
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Why should my pet and I be evaluated
and certified?
Organizations like the Delta Society set standards for AAA and AAT and help
ensure that visiting teams have the skills and aptitude to make a good team.
Once registered, you and your pet are covered by a liability insurance policy
while volunteering.
Many facilities consider the Delta Society requirements as the gold standard
and have adopted them as their own. Pet Partner Teams only need to submit
their membership card in order to visit.
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Does Delta Society require classroom instruction prior
to Pet Partners Registration?
No, classroom instruction is not
required. Tails of Joy offers Therapy
Dog Classes to help those who want to learn
more about pet therapy or who want assistance learning
the required skills. Delta Society also offers a home
study course.
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Does the age of the animal
matter?
Yes it does, an animal must be at least one year of age to begin providing
therapy. Animals younger than one year of age should be enrolled in a training
program.
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Does the animal have to be spayed
I neutered?
No, an animal does not need to be spayed or neutered to provide Animal Assisted
Therapy.
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Does my animal have to have all
its vaccinations?
Delta Society registration
requires that each animal must be up to date with rabies
vaccination and any other state required vaccine. Individual
facilities may have their own requirements.
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What kind of animals can provide
Animal Assisted Therapy?
Almost any animal can provide
Animal Assisted Therapy. With the correct training, animals
such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, some birds, and
even llamas are successfully used as therapy animals.
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How do I know if my animal is
suited for therapy work?
You and your pet should have
an interest in people and enjoy visiting. Your pet should
be healthy, have at least a basic level of training and
be reliable, even in crowded or unexpected situations.
Some essentials:
- Animal likes being petted, touched and hugged
- Animal demonstrates reliable, controllable, predictable
behavior
- Animal actively solicits interactions with people
- Animal is able to remain calm in disruptive settings
- Animal is outgoing, friendly and confident in new
settings
If your animal is unpredictable,
doesn’t like being around people, or is aggressive
to people or other animals it would not be suitable
for therapy work.
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Can I get involved with Tails
of Joy without a pet?
Yes, Tails of Joy has a
Supporting category of Membership and there are many opportunities
to get involved. Supporting members can attend monthly
meetings, assist at any of the many events TOJ attends
each year including town fairs, health fairs, and pet shows,
maintain records of places visited or the group scrapbook,
or be a volunteer for Delta evaluations.
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Can I get paid for providing AAA
or AAT?
No, Tails of Joy is a volunteer
organization. Members donate their time to bring happiness
to others. Any expenses you incur providing therapy, including
mileage, uniform, and extra expenses for grooming, may
be tax deductible.
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What is the difference between
service, therapy, companion, and “social” animals?
Service animals are legally
defined by the American's with Disabilities Act (1990)
and are trained to meet the disability-related needs of
their handlers. Federal laws protect the rights of individuals
wit disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals
in public places.
Federal law does not legally define therapy animals, but some states have
laws defining therapy animals. They provide people with contact to animals,
but are not limited to working with people who have disabilities. They are
usually the personal pets of their handlers, and work with their handlers
to provide services to others. Federal laws have no provisions for people
to be accompanied by therapy animals in places of public accommodation that
have "no pets" policies. Therapy animals usually are not service animals.
Companion animal is not legally defined, but is accepted as another term
for pet. "Social/therapy" animals likewise have no legal definition. They
often are animals that did not complete service animal or service dog training
due to health, disposition, trainability, or other factors, and are made
available as pets for people who have disabilities. These animals might or
might not meet the definition of service animals.
© Delta Society
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What does it mean that Tails of
Joy is a 501(c)(3) organization?
501(c)(3) refers to the
Internal Revenue Service's tax code that allows a corporation
to operate as a nonprofit and accept contributions from
the public without paying taxes. This designation also
allows you to count your contribution as a tax deduction.
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How much does Tails of Joy charge
for visits?
Tails of Joy members volunteer
their time and do not charge for any pet therapy visit.
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