[Aspen726]

As many of you know, I have had a goal of doing some pet therapy work with Aspen. I've been doing a lot of research into TDI (as recommended from some DF members) but I can't find a TDI affiliated trainer/tester near me. I've switched over to looking at Pet Partners and have found a trainer/tester. I have been in contact with her briefly, just to send over my contact info so she can send me some information.

Do any of you know any major differences between the two organizations? If I start with Pet Partners, am I ever able to also register (or switch to) TDI if I wanted? I'll ask her these questions too but I thought it might be good to get an idea from some DF members

 

[Aspen726]

One more question... I was thinking about getting her a vest that said, "Therapy Dog in Training, please pet me" or something along those lines... I want to encourage people to interact with her. Do you think that's dumb? Haha... honest opinions.

 

[Larkspur]

I don't know too much about one therapy org vs another. I do know that TDI discriminates against disabled people with service dogs and won't allow them to have a separate dog used as a therapy dog...

You can bring the dog to dog parks, human playgrounds, pet-friendly public areas, etc. to socialize her. You can get a vest saying "pet me," but you don't want people confusing her for a service dog. Don't bring her into non-pet-friendly places, since therapy dogs do not get public access (aside from their visiting old/sick people jobs).

 

[agility collie mom]

One more question... I was thinking about getting her a vest that said, "Therapy Dog in Training, please pet me" or something along those lines... I want to encourage people to interact with her. Do you think that's dumb? Haha... honest opinions.

I think that is an excellent idea! I purchased this patch, nice quality: https://www.etsy.com/listing/110847441/therapy-dog-in-training-patch-service?ref=market

 

[agility collie mom]

I don't know too much about one therapy org vs another. I do know that TDI discriminates against disabled people with service dogs and won't allow them to have a separate dog used as a therapy dog...

You can bring the dog to dog parks, human playgrounds, pet-friendly public areas, etc. to socialize her. You can get a vest saying "pet me," but you don't want people confusing her for a service dog. Don't bring her into non-pet-friendly places, since therapy dogs do not get public access (aside from their visiting old/sick people jobs).

Hi Lark,
I think the issue is that TDI provides pet insurance so there may be a conflict of interest with the insurance if your dog is registered with another pet therapy organization. I have not finished reading Firefly's contract yet for TDI. I will post more information when I read it more throughly.

 

[Tilden]

I don't know too much about one therapy org vs another. I do know that TDI discriminates against disabled people with service dogs and won't allow them to have a separate dog used as a therapy dog...

You can bring the dog to dog parks, human playgrounds, pet-friendly public areas, etc. to socialize her. You can get a vest saying "pet me," but you don't want people confusing her for a service dog. Don't bring her into non-pet-friendly places, since therapy dogs do not get public access (aside from their visiting old/sick people jobs).

Please check the TDI site for current testing rules. It very specifically says that service dogs cannot be certified as therapy dogs but that someone with a service dog may certify a separate dog. The two dogs must be tested together--that is, the handler must test as if the dogs would be working in brace, which they would be if the handler would require his/her service dog to be with him/her while doing therapy work--but it is possible for someone with a disability and a service dog to certify an additional non-service dog as a therapy dog. In addition, anyone, disabled or not, who would be handling two dogs at once would be required to test the dogs together. The purpose of testing them together is to make sure that the handler can manage both dogs at once and that the two dogs work together well. Some people with two certified dogs never test them in brace because they'd prefer to work them separately--for instance, I know someone with a mastiff and Newfoundland who are both TDI-certified but who just doesn't want to be handling 300 pounds of dog at once, so she works them separately--but in the case of someone who would have to have the service dog with him/her while doing therapy work, it would be necessary to test in brace to make sure the handler could deal with both dogs simultaneously, particularly since the jobs of the two dogs would be different.

It is true that TDI's insurance covers only dogs certified through TDI. It is not true that someone with a service dog is prohibited from certifying another non-service dog as a therapy dog.

 

[Aspen726]

@Tilden - thanks for the info!
@Larkspur - I know that she won't get public access for being a therapy dog, that's not why I'm doing it

 

[Larkspur]

@Tilden
I actually mixed up what I had read before (happens after a seizure sometimes... memory loss... really shouldn't try to think after one of those). Yes they allow separate dogs, but they do not allow Service Dogs to be therapy dogs... simply because the lady who runs it all doesn't know what a SD really is and doesn't understand that they're not on dudy 24/7 and get downtime and socialization like every dog. It isn't proper to require a person with a disability and a perfectly suitable animal to jump through excessive hoops that non-disabled persons don't have to. That is, by definition, discriminatory.