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How to Register Your Dog as a Therapy Dog?

Humans are lucky to have dogs as our companions. Dogs used to help us watch livestock or help us hunt. Now, they are here to provide us with much-needed support. Unfortunately, people often get assistance animal regulations wrong. We are here to help clear things up. The first step is to understand the rules and regulations around assistance animals.
Can I Register my Dog as a Therapy Dog?
There are three types of assistance animals. Each performs a specific function and has special access rights.
- Service Animal – trained to perform a specific task for their handler’s disability. Service Dogs have full access to all public places including restaurants, hotels, and no-pet housing. A fee cannot be a charge for granting access to Service Dogs. A service dog is considered a medical device and not a pet.
- Emotional Support Animal – does not require special training and provides comfort to their handler. Emotional Support Dogs have access to no-pet housing, and the landlord cannot charge a fee for an ESA as well.
- Therapy Animal – does not require special training and provides comfort to others. Therapy Dogs do not have special access and must be invited in. A fee can be charged for granting access to a therapy dog.
You can register your dog as a therapy dog by following the links below!
Therapy Animals are often confused with Emotional Support Animals. A quick way to discover which assistance animal you need is to ask yourself a simple question.
Is my dog here to support my emotional needs or is my dog her to support other’s emotional needs?
- If the answer is yourself, you require an ESA Letter from a therapist.
- If your answer is others, your require a Therapy Dog Certification.
Train and register your dog as a Therapy Dog in 3 Easy Steps –
- First – Adopt and train a dog with a calm and kind temperament and can pass a Canine Good Citizen Test.
- Second – Train your dog to be well behaved in public places such as a hospital or school. When they go to a hospital or school, they need to be well behaved as to not hurt others or themselves.
- Third – Certify your Therapy Dog by registering them with Service Dog Certifications
Your Therapy Dog can also act as your Emotional Support Dog. To qualify your Therapy Dog as your ESA, you will need an ESA letter from a therapist. If your current therapist understands ESA laws and can help you write an ESA letter, this is your best route. If you do not have access to an ESA Doctor or ESA therapist, we recommend seeking support for a legitimate ESA resource.
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I’m new to this, could someone plz help. I have a little yorkie who has been trained as all of the above, wee took him to the care homes, since he was thirteen weeks and my grandaughter has so many divers needs. I also have him everywhere I go and iv just found out I need him registered to continue taking him where ever wee go. He’s now 4 and no one has ever said anything until now.
Is there a phone number, just so I can speak to someone. Wee realy need him with us and he needs to be registered to keeping us all sain in these worring times.
If your dog is a service dog, you do NOT need to register it. Registration is a completely optional step for service dogs. The same is also true for therapy dogs – there is no “official” registry for therapy dogs, but you can register your therapy dog with an organization if you would like to.
How do I register for a service dog, I need my dog with me when I travel alone? I travel on public transport, ferries, airlines so need my dog with me. Also to enter grocery stores and pharmacy and Doctors Clinics and Hospital?
You do not need to register a service dog for travel. Please see this guide for more details on travelling with a service dog: https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/flying-with-a-service-dog-guide/
Hi
I would like very much to Qualify my dog as an Emotional Support Dog as well as a Therapy Dog for others.
As of this year 24 th Jan 2021 my wife was involved in a horrific motor vehicle accident involving her motor vehicle and a semi trailer on the Dukes Highway Yumali .
So you could say my life has been pretty hectic to say the least and emotional my little Maltese Shihtzu has been a blessing and still is.
I would be lost without my dog named Bubu.
Cheers
Brenton
Can I get a therapy letter from my vet? Would that be acceptable? I had a stroke 6 yrs ago and he was picked to comfort me. Please advise to or . thank in advance. This dog is a golden retriever
I assume you need an emotional support animal (an animal that comforts you in times of need), not a therapy dog (a dog that offers temporary comfort to others). To qualify for an ESA, you would need an official ESA letter issued by a therapist who is licensed in your state of residence. You may find this article on how to qualify for an emotional support animal interesting: https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/how-to-qualify-for-an-emotional-support-animal/
I have a lovely cocker spaniel who is calm and loveable and getting on in years. He would give a lot of comfort to people, I’m hoping to start taking him to a day centre for people that are needing therapy due to their condition. He would make an excellent therapy dog. Please can you tell me how do I register him as PAT or would I need to if he is used as a therapy dog
Thank you
Registering a therapy dog is completely optional and can only be done on our site after you and your animal have undergone the necessary training to provide therapeutic services to others.