Therapy animals are trained to provide emotional support and comfort to individuals in need. These animals are used in therapeutic settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and mental health facilities, to help reduce stress, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness. Therapy animals are different from service animals, as they are not trained to perform specific tasks for individuals with disabilities but are instead focused on offering emotional comfort and companionship.

Pet Partners allows multiple species to be therapy animals, but most are dogs. Therapy animals should be calm in a variety of environments, obedient, and most importantly enjoy interacting with people of all ages and backgrounds! In addition, your pet will need to meet age and health requirements.

To become a Pet Partners team, you will first take a handler course that covers essential information about visits and the evaluation process. Then, you and your pet will take an in-person assessment that consists of obedience skills and simulations to see how you and your pet respond to different situations that you would come across as a therapy animal team.