Frequently Asked Questions
What is Animal Assisted Therapy and how is it different from Animal Assisted Activities?
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is the use of animals as a therapeutic tool to assist a person in restoring balance to their life. While Animal Assisted Activities (AAA), such as informal visits to a skilled nursing facility, have recreational value, they are not to be confused with AAT. AAT is a goal directed, documented process to achieve a specific outcome for a client who is suffering from a physical, cognitive, or emotional disability in their life.
Examples of AAT are:
1. Increase of physical strength, balance, and flexibility through therapeutic riding for a child with Cerebral Palsy.
2. Assisting a physical therapist to help an elderly client who has loss the use of fine motor control after a stroke to hold a brush and groom a therapy dog.
3. Children with learning disabilities are motivated and/or relaxed by the dog's presence to work on reading and literacy skills.
4. A young woman suffering from grief and trauma after sexual abuse is able to stay in the present moment and talk with a therapist while quietly grooming the horse.
Examples of AAT are:
1. Increase of physical strength, balance, and flexibility through therapeutic riding for a child with Cerebral Palsy.
2. Assisting a physical therapist to help an elderly client who has loss the use of fine motor control after a stroke to hold a brush and groom a therapy dog.
3. Children with learning disabilities are motivated and/or relaxed by the dog's presence to work on reading and literacy skills.
4. A young woman suffering from grief and trauma after sexual abuse is able to stay in the present moment and talk with a therapist while quietly grooming the horse.
What is the difference between a Service Dog, Therapy Dog, and Emotional Support Dog?
A Service Dog is a trained dog for a specific individual. For example, a service dog for someone who is blind helps their owner safely cross the street, a service dog for someone who is deaf may be trained to alert their owner to specific sounds such as a doorbell or phone ringing, and a service dog for someone who suffers from seizures is trained to smell the onset of a seizure and alert their owner to take medication immediately. The training for a Service Dog is long and intense, often 12 months or more. The dog is considered "medical equipment" and necessary for the individual. Service Dogs are legally protected by the federal government under the ADA and have the right to go everywhere, including restaurants, banks, stores, etc. with their owner. The cost can range from $25,000-$30,000.
An Emotional Support Dog provides comfort to its owner. The dog may be exposed to medical equipment or de-sensitized to loud sounds such as vocal outbursts from a child with autism during their training. The training is intense, but not as long as a Service Dog, generally 4-8 months. An emotional support dog is not protected by the ADA as they are not considered medical equipment. However, they do have some recognized rights, such as living in a rental unit that does not allow pets and traveling on public transportation or in the cabin of an airline. The cost ranges from $8,000-$10,000.
A Therapy Dog is a people-friendly dog that works with many different populations of people. A Therapy Dog may spend the morning at a school providing a reading program to young children and the afternoon at an assisted living facility visiting the elderly! A Therapy Dog is trained, evaluated, and usually handled by the owner. Cost to train an AaTs Credentialed Therapy Dog Team (training classes, evaluation fees, and annual membership fee) totals approximately $750 and takes roughly 6 months.
An Emotional Support Dog provides comfort to its owner. The dog may be exposed to medical equipment or de-sensitized to loud sounds such as vocal outbursts from a child with autism during their training. The training is intense, but not as long as a Service Dog, generally 4-8 months. An emotional support dog is not protected by the ADA as they are not considered medical equipment. However, they do have some recognized rights, such as living in a rental unit that does not allow pets and traveling on public transportation or in the cabin of an airline. The cost ranges from $8,000-$10,000.
A Therapy Dog is a people-friendly dog that works with many different populations of people. A Therapy Dog may spend the morning at a school providing a reading program to young children and the afternoon at an assisted living facility visiting the elderly! A Therapy Dog is trained, evaluated, and usually handled by the owner. Cost to train an AaTs Credentialed Therapy Dog Team (training classes, evaluation fees, and annual membership fee) totals approximately $750 and takes roughly 6 months.
What are the characteristics of a Therapy Dog and how do they become an AaTs Credentialed Therapy Dog Team?
Any breed or mixed breed can be trained to be a Therapy Dog if they have the correct temperament. Therapy Dogs must be friendly, outgoing, and confident. Prerequisites for AaTs Therapy Dog training are that the dog must reliably know focus, sit, down, stay, come, walk on a loose leash, touch, and the leave it cue. Next, the Introduction to Therapy Dog Work is a five hour seminar designed for handlers only. It is meant to educate the handler with the basics of therapy work, facility evaluation, clientele, insurance considerations, and the Public Access Test requirement. It is suggested that this seminar be completed prior to the AKC Canine Good Citizen course and evaluation. The final step is the Foundations for the Public Access Test course. The Public Access Test is universally required for all service dogs and teaches a cool, calm, and collected demeanor under a variety of circumstances. AaTs takes this a step further by adding test items such as restrictive hugging and emotional outbursts to reflect pressures that a therapy dog might face. Upon completion of the course, the team is evaluated on the Public Access Test. If passed, the AaTs Credentialed Therapy Dog Team may become a member of the organization.
Does AaTs MA offer therapeutic riding for disabled riders?
At this time, AaTs MA does not offer therapeutic riding to disabled riders. Please see AaTs CT: www.aatsct.org