Goals and Benefits of the Animal Assisted Intervention Program:
• Increase empathy/compassion for students who have anger management issues, bullying behavior and other anti-social conduct.
• Development of prosocial behavior.
• Increase tolerance and respect for others.
• Build healthy attachment and relationships.
• Reduce stress/anxiety and to decompress after traumatic circumstances.
• Improve reading skills, comprehension while increasing confidence and literary interest.
• Lessen the emotional trauma of a critical incident/event for the child.
• Help child with self-regulation issues and other behavior disorders.
• Create a welcoming atmosphere and environment of unconditional acceptance. Therefore reducing the resistance that may accompany counseling or group participation.
• Reward/behavior management system for the student – student needs to earn the privilege of participating in the program, ‘walk’ the dog, give a treat, teach something new, etc.
Character Building Concepts:
Research indicates children need to develop specific core behaviors in order to establish a strong foundation for a healthy and productive future. Our animal assisted humane education program will:
• Teach character concepts- kindness, citizenship, respect and responsibility while reinforcing those ideas as they apply to the humane treatment of animals.
• Encourage students to become conscientious and engaged change makers.
• Empower students to make a positive difference in their community, master the capacity to join others and contribute to a group through service-learning projects.
Process and Procedure for the Use of a Therapy Dog:
• Prior to introducing a therapy dog to school, an assessment will be conducted to gauge the population that could benefit and work with the dog to positively impact the learning environment.
• No person would be obligated to interact with the dog and the dog would not be permitted to initiate interaction with a child or adult.
• Parents/guardians will be notified and provide consent before their child works with the therapy dog and handler. Permission slip attached.
• Before students interact with the therapy dog, the handler will speak to the students to explain the program, help them learn the role of a therapy dog, information about her, and the expectations of how to interact with her.
• Students will be informed that the therapy dog is ‘working’ and should be treated differently than a dog at home.
• Students will learn how to safely interact with the therapy dog and the expectations they are to follow in order to participate in the program. Students will role play with the use of a stuffed animal to practice these skills.
• Assist school counselors and teachers.
• Provide curriculum that support the goals of the program.
• Develop new curriculum as needed for student(s).
Training and Registration of Handler/Therapy Dog Team:
• The therapy dogs and handlers are tested and registered with Pet Partners, Inc.
• Pet Partners requires dogs and handlers to undergo rigorous training in order to register and participate in the program.
• Dog handlers are trained to watch for potential harm to either a child or their own dog and are primarily responsible to manage the animal when on site.
Vaccination and Wellness of Therapy Dogs:
• Vaccinations and the wellness of the dog will be the responsibility of the handler.
• Regular veterinarian checks for their dogs along with regular evaluations of their handlers will be required to maintain their certification status.
Insurance & Safety:
• Pet Partners, Inc. carries a primary commercial general liability insurance policy (“CGLI”) for its qualified volunteers for accidents that occur during the policy period. A therapy animal team registered with Pet Partners is covered by this insurance upon receipt of the team’s acceptance letter and ends at the expiration of the team’s registration. Pet Partners' CGLI insurance has limits in the amount of $2,000,000 per occurrence. See more insurance coverage information from Pet Partner’s website.
• The handler will only bring in one dog at a time.
• The handler will ensure the therapy dog does not pose a health and safety risk to students, staff or other people in the facility.
• The handler will ensure appropriate collars, leashes or harnesses will be worn by the therapy dog and the handler will maintain control of the therapy dog by holding the leash while the dog is in the facility unless holding onto the leash would interfere with the therapy dog’s performance of work.
• The handler will be responsible for the supervision and care of the therapy dog.
• The handler will follow the rules of the facility while in the building or on the facility’s property and will access only areas of the building previously authorized.
• Consent forms will be provided for children and parents/guardians to ensure full awareness and to deter potential liability.
Allergies and Aversion:
Some children may have had a traumatic experience with a dog. Because those participating in the therapy dog program by permission and only in specified areas, unwanted contact with a dog can be avoided and the issue of fear can be minimized. Some children can learn to overcome their fear of dogs and grow to respect and appreciate them with proper guidance and handling.
• Permission from parent/guardian will be obtained before student participation.
• Qualified dog handlers are required by Pet Partners, Inc. to meet cleanliness and grooming requirements minimizing allergic contact (frequent bathing, brushed before visits, dander wipe/spray prior to visit).
• If needed, a sheet or towel provided by the handler can be placed on carpeted area.
• Students are required to wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after contact with the dog.
• If a student or staff member has dog/dander allergies, the handler will remove the therapy dog to a designated area assigned by the facility designee.
• If a student or staff member has an aversion or fear of dogs, the handler will remove the therapy dog to a designated area assigned by the facility designee.
