Mike Nelson and his Golden Retriever Bubba have been volunteering with Nor’wester Therapy Dogs since 2012. They are one of our teams that work primarily with special needs students. Not only do Mike and Bubba currently visit four classes weekly, they also do summer Extended School Year visits. We asked Mike to share a bit about himself, the dogs he’s had in his life, and how he came to therapy dog work.

Mike and his siblings were born in Brooklyn, NY and later moved to New Jersey when he was a teen. He received his Civil Engineering degree from NJIT and his master’s degree in water resources engineering from Villanova University.  Ultimately, Mike moved to Philadelphia with his wife Barbara. They have five children and ten grandchildren

When they moved to Philadelphia, they bought a house and it was time for dogs to come into their lives. Over 50 plus years of marriage, Mike and his family have enjoyed seven dogs (2 Vizslas and 5 Golden Retrievers).

Mike adopted his fourth Golden Retriever from the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (DVGRR). All his previous dogs had been puppies purchased from breeders. When Mike picked up his first adopted dog from DVGRR, they recommended that he enroll the three-year-old Scoobie in dog training classes. Mike then joined Old York Road Dog Training Club (OYRDTC) on the recommendation of his vet.

This was Mike’s first experience with formal obedience training, and he said, “Everything I’d learned before was wrong!” The patient instructors quickly re-educated Mike about positive reinforcement in  training.  Mike declared, “Scoobie, my adopted Golden, learned much quicker than I, and eventually, he  was competing successfully in competitive rally events.”

Scoobie was also a wonderful and very obedient family dog. Sadly, Mike and his family lost Scoobie to cancer around the age of eight, and he immediately asked OYRDTC to find him another Golden Retriever.

Within weeks Mike had a new three-year-old Golden named Bubba, and he began the training process anew with the club. Bubba was very obedient and a quick learner who loved everyone. It wasn’t long before the instructors recognized that he would make a great therapy dog. Mike said he had no clue what a therapy dog was. Mike and Bubba trained so they could test for the proper certifications, and six months later Bubba was a registered therapy dog!

Bubba and Mike have worked exclusively with the Nor’wester Therapy Dogs organization. Their first assigned class was with children working on their reading skills. If the children did well, the teacher would allow Bubba to do a trick for them. Mike would let the student give the command, and Bubba would respond.

Mike shared that his teachers were always quite creative in how they incorporated him and Bubba into their academic goals and lesson plans. (Next week Mike shares more therapy dog experiences and some of the ways he and his teachers collaborated in making learning more fun for the students.)

by Jan Reisen 

Published on American Kennel Club website: July 31, 2019 

Dogs have been aiding and working with humans since ancient times, in everything from farming to hunting to protection and more. Service dogs, emotional support animals, and therapy dogs all fulfill important roles in their aid to humans, but the terms are not interchangeable: each is specifically defined, both in terms of their jobs and their legal rights.

What Do Service Dogs Do?

As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs are individually trained to perform specific tasks and to work with people with disabilities. According to the ADA, disabilities can be “physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” The work of the service dog must be directly related to the handler’s disability. These are just some of the things a service dog can do:

Guide dogs help blind people navigate in the world.

Hearing (or signal) dogs alert deaf people to sounds, such as a knock on the door or a person entering the room.

Psychiatric dogs are trained to detect and lessen the effects of a psychiatric episode.

Service dogs help those in wheelchairs or who are otherwise physically limited. They may open doors or cabinets, fetch things their handler can’t reach, and carry items for their handler.

Autism assistance dogs are trained to help those on the autism spectrum to distinguish important sensory signals, such as a smoke alarm, from other sensory input. They may also alert their handler to repetitive behaviors or overstimulation.

Service dogs that are trained to recognize seizures and will stand guard over their handler during a seizure or go for help.

What Rights Do Service Dogs Have?

The ADA mandates that service dogs have full public access rights, which means they are allowed to go places where are animals are forbidden. They can be brought into restaurants, stores, libraries, and other public spaces. They must be permitted in housing, even if other pets are not allowed. Service dogs are also allowed on airplanes and other public transport. One caveat: each airline has its own rules regarding service dogs. Most require that the dog sits on the traveler’s lap or at their feet. Dogs cannot block the aisle or sit in the emergency exit row. Service dogs are exempt from the pet fees that airlines charge.

What Do Emotional Support Animals Do?

Emotional support dogs are not considered service dogs under the ADA. They may be trained for a specific owner, but they are not trained for specific tasks or duties to aid a person with a disability, and this is the main difference between ESAs and service dogs. This doesn’t minimize the support these dogs provide for people with a psychological disorder. They’re considered companion animals and ease anxiety, depression, some phobias, and loneliness.  In order to be considered an emotional support dog, it must be prescribed by a mental health professional for a patient with a diagnosed psychological or emotional disorder, such as anxiety disorder, major depression, or panic attacks.

What Rights Do Emotional Support Animals Have?

Unlike service dogs, ESAs have only limited legal rights and those typically require a letter of diagnosis from the owner’s doctor or psychiatrist. While they don’t have unlimited access to public spaces, the Fair Housing Act mandates “reasonable accommodations” for emotional support animals even in buildings that don’t allow pets. The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to allow ESAs on flights, but travelers must have a letter from a doctor or licensed therapist. There may be additional requirements as well. Because so many people abuse the concept of an emotional support animal, including the traveler who tried to bring an “emotional support peacock” on board a United Airlines flight, airlines are tightening restrictions on emotional support animals. We can expect other commercial and public spaces to follow.

What is a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs play a different helping role than service dogs and emotional support animals. They aren’t trained to live with a specific handler. Rather, these are dogs that — with their human teammate (often the dog’s owner) — volunteer in clinical settings, such as hospitals, mental health institutions, hospices, schools, and nursing homes, where they provide comfort, affection, and even love in the course of their work. Therapy dogs are trained to be comfortable in new environments and to interact with different people. They should have a calm temperament, be unfazed by unfamiliar noises and movements, be comfortable being handled, and love people.

Do Therapy Dogs Have Legal Rights?

Although they are defined as comfort dogs and often used in therapeutic settings, therapy dogs are not considered service dogs under the ADA and don’t have the same legal right to access in public spaces. There are no uniform state or national rules that regulate and certify therapy dogs, and different organizations have different guidelines. As a general rule, therapy dogs should be trained, insured, and licensed by the non-profit that’s offering their services.

Can My Dog Be a Therapy Dog?

If you’re interested in volunteering and think your dog may be a great candidate to be a therapy dog, organizations like the Alliance of Therapy Dogs test dog for their suitability and, if accepted, have guidelines that must be followed.

While it doesn’t certify therapy dogs, the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program offers their training program to organizations, and the CGC test is often a prerequisite required by therapy dog organizations.

One of the most frequent questions we get is from owners who want to know how they can get their dog certified to work as a registered therapy dog. 

We have learned over the years that the most important thing is a well socialized dog.  Proper socialization creates a relaxed, confident, well-adjusted, and happy canine, one that is comfortable in a wide variety of environments.  Socialization does not just happen; it takes a serious commitment on the part of the owner to expose the dog regularly to traveling in the car, interacting with people of all ages, other dogs, and to strange sights and sounds.

It is strongly recommended that socialization be done in 5 different venues per week. Some prime locations for socializing dogs are outdoor malls, flea markets, sporting events, walking in towns like Newtown or Doylestown, canine training classes, pet stores, Peddler’s Village, and at the entrance to high traffic places like Rita’s Water Ice and grocery stores. Use your imagination, but always be safe!

It is important to reinforce and emphasize good manners while socializing your dog.  The owner needs to separate dog socialization from working socialization.  While you are exposing your dog to different environments, remember to insist that your dog walk past another dog calmly and/or sit by your side while in the presence of another dog.  This will make it easier when you navigate this portion of the therapy dog test as well as when you work in group therapy visits.  Dogs should learn to walk on a loose leash and not be allowed to jump on people.  Even small dogs should not be allowed to jump on people.

Therapy dogs destined to work in schools should be comfortable and confident with children. Likewise, therapy dogs who will be working in nursing homes and hospitals should be gentle with the elderly and ill, and unafraid of medical equipment and assistive devices.

Some of the environments and situations where therapy dogs work includes schools, college campuses, hospitals, nursing homes, with war veterans, hospice, and crisis intervention.  Therapy dogs also visit public libraries, special needs camps, and community groups such as the Girl Scouts.

The Nor’wester Therapy Dogs organization requires our handlers to complete the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/training-testing/  as part of their dog’s preparation for therapy dog testing.

If you feel your dog is ready for the CGC test, some local testers are listed at https://norwestertherapydogs.org/get-involved/therapy-dog-certification/  for your convenience. In addition, CGC testing is often available at AKC sanctioned dog shows and through local dog training organizations. There is no age restriction for CGC testing. 

Many dog training organizations offer therapy dog classes prior to testing. These classes are often helpful for novice dog handlers because they offer guidance in preparation for testing and for working as a therapy dog. However, classes are not required. If an experienced owner feels his/her dog is ready, arrangements can be made with a therapy dog organization or evaluator to have the dog tested.  It is important to understand that the test is as much an evaluation of the handler as it is the dog, and the pair are certified as a team.

On some therapy dog organization websites, you can review the test used by that respective organization. Dogs are required to be at least one year old before they are eligible to be tested.  If an adult dog is adopted, then that dog may not test until it has been owned by the handler for a minimum of 6 months. 

The two main therapy dog organizations which most of our handlers test with are:

Alliance of Therapy Dogs:  https://www.therapydogs.com/

Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs: http://www.golden-dogs.org/

Starting socialization and training is easier with puppies, but many owners adopt adult dogs who are sometimes suitable candidates for therapy dog work.  Because it is likely the past socialization/training history of the dog is unknown, it is recommended that owners diligently socialize and train the same as they would with a puppy.  Enrolling in obedience classes is always a great way to get a good feel for the temperament of an adopted adult canine.  

It is extremely rewarding to prepare your dog for therapy dog testing. The time spent socializing and training strengthens your bond and enhances your effectiveness as a therapy dog team.  The Nor’wester Therapy Dogs organization is always available to answer any questions you may have.