Pet therapy/therapy work

[Jennifer089]

Have any of you ever heard of a Presa being used for therapy work? I've been doing some research on the subject but I have yet to see this breed used in this way. I've read about all different kinds of breeds being utilized, big and small, but no mention of Presas.

There's a really great site about it here: www.deltasociety.org

I'd appreciate any thoughts on it, any input would be great...

Thanks,

Jennifer

[azespo42]

That is a very nice article, I know that Cathy and Tianna do therapy work. It would be nice to see more Presa getting involved. I enjoyed reading the different aspects of Therapy. It takes a special dog and a special person to devote this kind of time to others in need.

[presagirls]

Jennifer, I mainly do therapy work with my fawn Presa. I have not been welcomed with the brindle and I don't even have the ears cropped on either one. It is difficult to get your "foot in the door" and I would strongly recommend that you list the dog as a mix until they get to know your dog if you get it certified for therapy. I wanted to promote the Presa in a "good light" and it wasn't real successful; especially in California. You will have to pass much more stringent testing after you are certified. Good luck!!

[Jennifer089]

I'm glad to hear you've been doing this, that is really cool. I wondered about the level of acceptance. I expected that it might be difficult to get people to welcome the breed into this type of work.

What types of settings have you worked in? I work in a psychiatric hospital and I know that (at this facility anyway) they don't do pet therapy strictly because of the liability issues.

I will work hard at it though, Choya and I will start out with puppy school/obedience. I've read about "puppy manners," temperment testing, CGC, and obedience beyond "puppy school." We'll just do everything we can, do our best at it, and hope for the same.

Thanks for the information,

Jennifer

[presagirls]

Jennifer, I took a class for one week so I could do Hospice home visits with my dogs. The dogs each took five tests which were pretty tough. The tests were done by hospital personnel and were everywhere from in a pet shop, in a parking lot, in an office setting, in a hospital and a large room with LOTS of distractions from yelling people, large stuffed dragon, other dogs, hospital walkers, wheelchairs, etc. Well, I was quite proud that both dogs passed ALL tests. I was waiting for certification and was sent a letter that said "sorry we have decided not to accept Presa Canarios." Needless to say I was pretty bummed. So, I do some preschool visits and mainly visit an adult mentally handicapped daycare facility. Most of the people really enjoy the dog; some are blind and can't see but love to pet the dog. A woman was badly disfigured and sat in the corner wearing a football helmet because she apparently banged her head. It was so ironic because my dog wanted to be next to that woman almost the entire time. The woman sat quietly just petting her and talking quietly to her....it was very calming for the woman. I am going to attempt Hospice again but will register as a mix. There are very few people who want to do home visits to relieve the caregiver so they can take 2-4 hr. off and get away from their stressful situation. Good luck with your dog!!

[Fred]

Once you get a TDI, do you need to do some type of refresher testing or show that your dog has worked so many hours in order to keep the rating?

[presagirls]

Fred, the dog has to be seen by a vet yearly and vaccinations or titers have to be done. You also have to turn in your log (at each visit someone has to sign your list of places you have been) at the end of the year. You can actually receive a title for 50 visits.

[Fred]

Let me rephrase, perhaps "rating" wasn't the right word to use. If a dog who has a TDI after its name doesn't do any therapy work for a year (so, no log to turn in), can he still do therapy work the following year or do you need to start all over as if he never had the TDI?

Thanks,
Fred

[presagirls]

Fred, I would think that you can keep your TDI certification by just filing out the paperwork each year, sending in your money to renew, having the vet exam, etc. With TDI you get a badge and a tag for dog's collar (that says I AM A THERAPY DOG) yearly and a $50,000. insurance policy. TDI doesn't delegate where you do therapy work and I have not read that you would loose your certification if you don't do theapy. If your dog has not been tested at a specific facility I guarantee they will retest the dog. TDI is an initial test and then you do more testing at whatever facility you choose or a particular organization that you might have to join; like Lend a Heart, Delta Society, etc. I think Jen said she just wanted the TDI certification but wasn't going to do therapy work so she would know more about that aspect.

[Fred]

Thanks, Cathy. I didn't know that each facility was responsible for testing your dog once it had received the TDI. It makes me wonder why each facility doesn't have its own set of letters you can put behind a dog's name. Maybe not designating the facility, but designating the type of therapy the dog has been used for and is therefore used to, mentally challeged, physically challenged, kids, adults...

[cgpresadog]

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[Fred]

Thanks, Jen.
That's what I was thinking and wanted to know for sure.

Fred

[Jennifer089]

According to the Delta Society website, the renewal process involves documention "of your team's participation in continuing education, animal assisted activities/therapies and community involvement." You're also expected to keep up with health screening (and you must show proof of this). According to that site, they provide a $1 million liability policy.

They offer initial and refresher workshops and the animals are expected to pass (and re-pass) the Pet Partners Skills Test and a Pet Partners Aptitude Test which the site states is: "Like a temperment test."

Another interesting thing is this: "Dogs trained to aggressively protect and/or are encouraged to actively bite, even as a component of a dog sport (e.g. bitework that is part of Schutzhund) may not be pet partners."

Thanks for all the information, and I hope this helps,

Jennifer