Abstract
Organizations that deliver animal-assisted interventions (AAIs), as well as those that train, evaluate, and register therapy dogs, have proliferated in recent decades in the United States (U.S.). Each of these organizations has its own policies and procedures for screening, evaluating, and instructing dogs and their owners/handlers, but little is currently known about the range of different practices that exist nationwide. The aim of this project was to survey a representative, national sample of U.S. therapy dog organizations to investigate commonalities and differences in the types of practices in current use and to compare these to recommendations in existing published guidelines. The findings suggest the need for further research, and highlight a number of areas relating to dog welfare, human safety, and infection control in which many organizations were inconsistent in their adherence to existing guidelines. Of particular concern with regard to animal welfare was the finding that approximately half of the organizations surveyed imposed no time limit on the length of visits. Also, given the potential for zoonotic disease transmission, the finding that only a small minority of organizations prohibit the feeding of raw meat diets and treats to visiting dogs is concerning. This information will help to raise awareness among facilities with therapy animal programs and assist in the development of future best practices within the therapy dog industry.
Highlights
Organizations that deliver animal-assisted activities and interventions (AAAs, AAIs), as well as those that train, evaluate, and register therapy dogs, have proliferated in recent decades in the United States (U.S.) (1)
To the extent that the sample of therapy dog organizations that contributed to this study is representative of the country as a whole, the current findings have identified several areas in which a substantial proportion of organizations depart from what would generally be considered “best practice” as defined by existing guidelines [(4–8); Table S1]
These results will help stimulate constructive debate leading toward the goal of an industry-wide consensus on both minimum acceptable and ideal standards to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of both human and animal participants in AAIs
Summary
Organizations that deliver animal-assisted activities and interventions (AAAs, AAIs), as well as those that train, evaluate, and register therapy dogs, have proliferated in recent decades in the United States (U.S.) (1). Survey of Therapy Dog Organizations programs (3–8), the therapy animal “industry” itself is largely self-regulated and there is no nationally-recognized accrediting agency, nor commonly accepted standards or policies, governing their activities (9–11). Many such organizations have their own policies and procedures for screening, evaluating, and instructing dogs and their owners/handlers. One previous study investigated health and safety policies in a sample of 27 U.S therapy animal organizations, and detected significant omissions that placed patients and residents at potential risk of harm (11). Additional work is needed to replicate these findings and identify other potential sources of risk within the therapy animal industry
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
