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Originally Posted by kl1977  I remember a while back that someone on here had gotten their dog certified to be a therapy dog. They said they got it in Tennessee and I cant find that post, not even when searching for it. I thought they had said that this was not to hard to get, but the research Ive done on it, its pretty extensive on the training. If anyone has any info please post. Im looking for something in Al, Tn, or Ga. Thanks |
My Bichon, Cosmo, is a certified therapy dog. He was certified through the University of Tennessee Vet School in Knoxville, TN, H.A.B.I.T. program (Human-Animan Bond In Tennessee). The woman who did his certification took him with her for about an hour. She wanted to be sure he was calm, didn't jump or bark, and was good with people. He didn't have to have any special training, just had to walk good on a leash, be calm in a crowd, respond to basic things like "come" and just generally be calm and well mannered. I had to attend an orientation meeting. Cosmo has been a therapy dog for almost two years. We go to the Children's Library twice a week. On Mondays, the kids are pre-school and on Wednesday the kids are older and read stories to Cosmo. Cosmo loves it and he has a huge fan club among the kids. We have also gone to a second-grade class at a local school and one of the retirement centers. Cosmo has been invited to go with me and my sister to my sister's church, too. I highly recommend therapy dog work. It is very rewarding and we enjoy it very much.