How To Make My Rabbit A Therapy Animal

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Professor Bunson Honeydew – Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai (New York, NY)

(PetSmart Charities)

When it comes to therapy animals, you've probably heard and seen it all. Just this past weekend I stopped in the Costco parking lot to pet an ambrosial French bulldog who was wearing a "therapy fauna" vest.

"Is information technology OK if I pet your canis familiaris?" I asked. "I know you're not supposed to pet working animals without permission."

The human laughed and waved away my request. So he whispered, "He'southward not really a therapy dog. I just put this on and then I tin have him into the store with me."

Of course, dog owners like this give legit therapy animals a bad proper name and make the American public that more skeptical virtually the role that therapy animals play in a person's life. With Mon, Apr 30 as National Therapy Animal Day, I idea it would exist a skilful time to explicate exactly what therapy animals do to help people and what goes into getting an fauna trained as one.

Related: How therapy dogs helped students after the Parkland schoolhouse shooting.

As far equally real therapy animals go, yous can't simply put a vest on your canis familiaris, cat or guinea sus scrofa and expect people to take you seriously. Therapy animals go through rigorous training to earn their championship. The animal'due south handler has to get through a preparation grade, too, plus the animal itself must laissez passer a wellness screening among other criteria.

Here are some of the indicate-by-signal items that Pet Partners uses when evaluating an animal and/or handler:

Pet Partners therapy animals must meet the following criteria:

Are at to the lowest degree i twelvemonth old at the time of evaluation or six months old for rabbits, guinea pigs and rats.
Accept lived in the owner's home for at to the lowest degree six months or i year for birds.
Must exist reliably house-trained. Waste collection devices are non permitted, with the exception of flight suits for birds.
Be currently vaccinated against rabies. Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and birds are exempt from this requirement. Titers are not accepted in lieu of vaccination.
May not be fed a raw meat nutrition.
Have no history of aggression or seriously injuring either people or other animals. This includes animals that take been trained to aggressively protect and/or have been encouraged to bite, even if it is a component of canis familiaris sport, such as Schutzhund.
Demonstrate practiced basic obedience skills. Animals walking with a pb should walk on a loose leash, and respond reliably to common commands such as sit, downward, stay, come up and leave it.
Welcome, not simply tolerate, interactions with strangers.
Exist comfortable wearing Pet Partners acceptable equipment.

Successful handlers must be able to do the post-obit:

Read their fauna's particular torso language and recognize when their animal is stressed, broken-hearted, concerned, overstimulated or fatigued.
Demonstrate positive interactions with their creature by praising, cueing, encouraging and reassuring the animal every bit needed.
Cue or redirect their creature without raising their vocalisation, forcefully jerking on the leash or offer the animal food or toys.
Make casual conversation with those they meet on visits while still existence circumspect to their fauna.
Guide the interactions of others with the animal in a professional and polite manner.
Abet for the prophylactic and well-beingness of their creature at all times.

FYI, it isn't merely dogs that can be therapy animals. Pet Partners register ix species for therapy animal piece of work. They are:

dogs
cats
equines
rabbits
guinea pigs
llamas and alpacas
birds
miniature pigs
rats

The American Kennel Club website lists therapy preparation groups like Pet Partners likewise as local therapy organizations, in instance you want to get involved with your animal. Whatsoever you practise, show some respect for therapy animals and don't just put a vest on your dog so you tin take it shopping with y'all.

Related: What is an emotional back up animal?

Finally, i of the places that therapy animals do some of the all-time work is in children's hospitals. Grants from PetSmart Charities help fund these programs and keep smiles on children's faces, even as they're existence treated for serious illnesses.

Launch the gallery slideshow to check out three therapy dogs and the good work they are doing.