Irish Therapy Dogs

The mission of Irish Therapy Dogs is to provide physical, therapeutic and educational benefit to people - young and old - in hospitals, nursing homes, day care centres, schools and other places where people may be restricted from having pets and where the presence of dogs, and their handlers, will add comfort and support. We are an Irish voluntary pet therapy charity organisation with an office in Dublin and are available nationwide.

Pet therapy has been described as the use of companion animals (dogs in our case) to enhance the quality of life of people in caring environments by visiting and interacting with them. Therapy dog teams (owner and dog) work to improve the emotional health of people in a variety of settings. They bring joy and comfort to patients, visitors, and staff in care centres such as long stay nursing and retirement homes, day care centres, centres for people with special needs and schools where they help children learn to read.

There are many uses for therapy dogs. They provide a general feeling of well being, non-judgemental affection and can help people with specific therapy activities. There are two ways that therapy dogs can help -- through Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Animal Assisted Activities are casual activities where people and pets connect. Typically, these dogs would just visit the centres mentioned above and enhance the lives of people there by interacting with them. These visits help make difficult situations somewhat easier for the people involved. Though the dogs don't need any specialized training, it is important that they be calm and friendly and well behaved. Both dog and owner working as a team must pass a strict assessment of suitability.

Animal Assisted Therapy is when an animal such as a therapy dog is an important part of someones physical, social, and emotional therapy activities. For example, a physical therapist might work with a patient and therapy dog to improve their physical fitness. Dog grooming, walking and even ball throwing can help with coordination, strength, and flexibility. These dogs require special training and work intensely with one person at a time.

Irish Therapy Dogs is developing a national network of caring volunteers who are willing to develop and share their dogs to bring support and happiness to people - young and old alike. We are interested in forming alliances with other voluntary, medical and educational organisations and will liaise with international organisations to ensure the development and implementation of best practices in animal therapy in Ireland.

Would you and your dog like to volunteer to become a Visiting Team? Or would you like one of our Therapy Dogs to visit your Care Centre? Please visit our How to Join page on our website www.irishtherapydogs.ie to find out how. With some of our members we can also give a talk to your school, club or group about the work and activities of Irish Therapy Dogs. Please contact us for more details.