Delta Society- Pet Partners

Delta Society...'The Human-Animal Health Connection

During our puppy class training at the San Lorenzo Dog Training Club, I shared my interest in pursuing Pet Therapy with the instructor and club members. I was encouraged to look into Delta Society as an alternative option to the AKC Therapy Dogs International group. The Delta Society was founded in 1977 as an international, not-for-profit organization of pet owners, volunteers, therapists, educators, veterinarians and other health professionals.

Delta Society- Goals
1. Expand awareness of the positive effects animals can have on human health.

2. Reduce barriers that prevent involvement of animals.

3. Expand the therapeutic and service role of animals in human health care and education.

4. Train handlers and register Pet Partner teams.

The Delta Society established the Pet Partners Program in 1990 at the request of volunteers who wanted to know more about taking their pets to visit people in human-health care settings. The mission as a Pet Partner includes investing the time and effort to gain knowledge of how to share the physical and emotional benefits of human-animal interactions.

After viewing the website http://deltasociety.org/ I decided to order the Student manual to aid me in my goal of making CoCo a Therapy Pet. The manual was very informative and was organized by units of training material:

--- Introductory Unit that reviewed the steps to becoming a Pet Partner Team.

--- The Handler- Needs and Responsibilities

--- The Animal- Suitability and Evaluation

--- Facilities and Settings- Assessing and Relationships

--- The Clients- Team Approach and Understanding

--- The Visit- Putting it all together

It was now December and CoCo had just turned 6 month old and we were finishing Puppy Class. I realized that CoCo's socialization was critical in achieving the goals I had identified in this non-timid, confident, calm, loving and attentive puppy. CoCo, Smokey and I regularly attended the small dog parks and finished with a walk in the larger dog park. CoCo loved meeting new dogs and people and was a big hit where ever she went. I started taking CoCo to the office a few days a week when I had a only a few hours of desk work and also took her out into crowds in different commercial areas to continue her socialization and build her confidence.

I did have a note of caution in my puppies behavior. When she and Smokey would play around the house, I would hear sound like I had a badger in the house attacking Smokey. I realized that her play with other dogs was generally acceptable but that her tenacious behavior should be limited to other dogs and even then monitored. In general, separating how the dog interacts with humans from the play between dogs seems to be a good guideline for a Therapy Dog. Its wonderful to watch CoCo and Smokey run around and chew on each other and I believe that a well balanced dog is easier to achieve when they are not a only pet in the household.