We’re celebrating dogs who are making a difference! We learned about guide dogs, search and rescue dogs, and now we’re learning about therapy dogs. We spoke with Megan Rose to learn about her certified therapy dog, Pharrell! Learn all about what therapy dogs really do and if your dog is a good fit to become a therapy dog.
Megan, when did you first decide to get a therapy dog?
I got Pharrell when he was a puppy and I actually didn’t initially consider having him become a therapy dog, until I realized how good he is with people and kids. In fact, I was at an event and someone saw Pharrell in action playing with people and they recommended I get him trained and certified!
What does it mean for a dog to be considered a therapy dog?
To become a certified therapy dog, the owner and pup must go through specific training. It’s important to remember that therapy dogs are not service dogs. They go places to make people happy and brighten the mood while a service dog has an act they have to perform. When considering whether your dog should become a therapy dog, a lot of it has to do with your pups original demeanor: really loving and social dogs should become therapy dogs. They should love people and be super outgoing rather than timid and thrive around lots of people.
What does the certification process look like for therapy dogs?
Before the certification process even begins, your pup has to be evaluated on their basic training and pass sit, stay, leave it, and down commands. Then, once they have passed, they enter the eight-week training course. Every week is different–people with mobility challenges (using wheelchairs or canes), people in the hospital, exposure to kids, etc – it’s all about getting your pup used to a variety of different people and situations they will be around when they’re in action! It’s not just your pup that goes through training. You as the human also go through sensitivity training, since you’re in a variety of different environments with your pup, you need to know how to behave and respond to any type of situation with kindness and respect.
What are some misconceptions about therapy dogs?
I think the biggest one is that people usually get confused about the difference between therapy dogs and service dogs. If you have a therapy dog, it doesn’t mean that they can fly on an airplane with you or do all the things service dogs can do. Your pup can be trained and certified as a therapy dog and a service dog, like Pharrell is, but just becoming a therapy dog doesn’t fulfill the service dog requirements.
Do you have any special moments you can think of when Pharrell was in a therapy session?
It’s amazing to see Pharrell in action as a therapy dog because the happiness he brings to others is so evident. There is one place in NYC we go to which is a group home for kids with Autism and Down Syndrome who have been abandoned by their parents (they range from 12-21 years old) and they just love Pharrell. It is so fun to see how obsessed they are with him and how much he loves them too. In fact, it is Pharrell’s favorite place to go! Just watching him create so much joy is amazing. Going to hospitals with him is also amazing; seeing the kids light up when they see Pharrell is always a reminder about the importance of therapy dogs.
Describe a day in the life of Pharrell!
Since I have a full time job, we only go places once a week. But we switch it up each week between group homes, after school programs, nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons. How he behaves really depends on where we go and who we visit. Sometimes people will learn tricks to teach Pharrell, or they will play fetch. Often if we’re at a nursing home or a hospital he just cuddles up with them and gives everyone love and a pup to pet.
If someone were interested in getting their pup certified and trained what should they know?
If you have a loving, social pup, I highly recommend getting them certified as a therapy dog. It is important to realize that this is a big time commitment because people rely on the dogs coming and look forward to it, so you don’t want to let them down by missing your weekly visit. But it is definitely worth it! I use the Good Dog Foundation which is the largest therapy dog foundation in NYC and there are similar foundations all around the country. The easiest way is to search for a therapy dog organization in your city and get certified!
