Therapy Dogs, Inc.

Therapy Dogs Inc. is a national organization with its corporate office located in Cheyenne, WY. TDInc. was incorporated in the year 1990. Currently we have 12,000+ handler/dog teams in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories. It is a goal of Therapy Dogs Inc. to provide registration, support, and insurance for members who are involved in volunteer animal assisted activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, visits to hospitals, special needs centers, schools, and nursing homes. Our objective is to form a network of caring individuals who are willing to share their special animals in order to bring happiness and cheer to people, young and old alike.

Therapy dogs are personal pets which meet certain requirements of good manners and good health, and pass testing and evaluations:

Therapy dogs must –
• Be at least one year of age
• Be good around other dogs
• Listen to their handlers
• Allow strangers to touch them all over
• Not jump on people when interacting
• Walk on a leash without pulling
• Not mind strange noises and smells
• Be calm for petting
• Not be afraid of people walking unsteadily
• Be current on all vaccines required by the local laws
• Have a negative fecal test every 12 months
• Be clean and well groomed

Any dog of any breed or mix of breeds with these qualifications is a good candidate to be a therapy dog. The membership process involves the handler/dog team passing the handling portion of the test followed by 3 successful supervised facility visits. At this point, the handler sends in the membership packet with appropriate fees to the office where upon TDInc. has sole authority in accepting the team for membership into the organization. Upon acceptance, the newly registered team receives a membership card, a certificate and a heart shaped tag for the dog’s collar, to be worn when representing TDInc. The team may only begin visiting after receiving this packet.

Therapy dogs are not considered service dogs and do not have the legal access rights that service dogs have. A TDInc. member who misrepresents his/her registered therapy dog as a service dog violates the TDInc. Rules and Regulations and places his/her membership and the integrity of the organization at risk.

TCKC performs evaluations of dog/handler teams wishing to participate in therapy dog activities. To schedule an evaluation, contact our Therapy Dog Coordinator at therapydogs@tckc.org.