Studies show that physical contact with a dog lowers blood pressure, improves survival rates for heart-attack victims and releases endorphins, chemicals in the body that suppress pain. This makes therapy dogs ideal for use in patient settings.
The Dog Alliance's Bow Wow Therapy Dog program started in 2006. In the early years, we were affiliated with Pet Partners. Currently, our test is more stringent than Pet Partners and we are large enough to support our own insurance, testing, mentoring and monitoring procedures. Our teams are eligible for the AKC Therapy Dog titles.
The Dog Alliance is proud to be part of the training, testing and continuing education of our certified teams. When one of our teams visits your facility, you can be assured that the team has met the highest standards for training and that the team is fully supported by The Dog Alliance. Each team is insured by a $1 million per occurrence liability policy. Every volunteer has also passed a background check. To ensure reliability as the dog ages, teams are re-tested every three years. All dogs are healthy and current on their State of Texas required vaccinations.
Before you enroll in the therapy dog class, your dog needs to know sit, down, come, stay and how to walk with a loose leash. The ideal therapy dog enjoys and seeks out attention from everyone. Therapy dogs must be able to focus on you when other dogs are working nearby.
Puppies younger than 16 weeks should start with the Puppy Kindergarten class. Puppies between 16 weeks and 7 months should start with the Puppy Manners class. Dogs older than 6 months should start with the Dog Manners 1 class.
The Bow Wow Therapy Dog and Handler 6-week course prepares you for volunteering in nursing homes, schools, libraries and more.
This course is required prior to taking the Bow Wow Therapy Dog Team Evaluation.
Unsure if your dog is appropriate for therapy work? Do you need a scholarship for the class?
We offer a informational workshop for you and your dog to explore these topics.
All teams are evaluated every three years to ensure both dog and handler are ready to volunteer safely.
Our support team is here to ensure things runs smoothly, so you can enjoy your time volunteering.
We look forward to welcoming you and your dog to our therapy dog program.
Please do not hesitate to
contact us
if you need additional information.
Bow Wow Therapy team members in good standing are covered by the Dog Alliance's general liability insurance policy up to $1 million per incident when volunteering.
You are not covered if you are being paid for your services or if you are volunteering at your place of employment.
If you are paid by the Dog Alliance, you are covered by our employee and or contractor insurance, not our volunteer policy.
Yes. Many of our teachers and therapists utilize their highly trained dogs as part of their jobs. You will need your own personal liability policy or your employer will need to verify that dogs are covered under their insurance policy.
Yes! The Dog Alliance program is recognized by the AKC as being a credible therapy dog program and thus your hours volunteering with us will count towards your AKC Therapy Dog titles. Our volunteer system will help you keep track of your hours.
We do not want your current financial situation to be a barrier to working with your dog to improve the lives of others.
Scholarships are available for individuals with financial needs. To learn more and to see if you qualify, please sign up for the workshop "Are me and my dog ready for therapy dog class?"
If you have the financial means to pay for your costs, we recommend budgeting $350 for the first year to cover the cost of training ($235 or more), testing ($40), and a therapy dog vest ($65).
Thanks to generous contributions from community members, each team that plans to volunteer in the community is provided with a Dog Alliance logo t-shirt and a name badge. Teams who volunteer at least 10 visits in 6 months are gifted with Bow Wow Therapy Dog trading cards customized for their dog.
As soon as possible. Early socialization and training increase your chances of success.
The Dog Alliance offers a wide array of classes to help you socialize your dog.
No. A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to help others achieve physical and mental goals. A therapy dog is not a service dog and is not covered by the protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
If you are interested in training your dog to be a service dog, please sign up for our Train Your Own Service Dog seminar to get started.
Yes, each handler and dog team will be evaluated to ensure they are ready to work in a variety of locations and situations. All our instructors, at all levels, can assist you in preparing for this evaluation.
Yes, a dog can certify with more than one handler. A second handler can join you for the therapy dog class for a nominal fee. Each handler needs to test individually.