Therapy Animal Coalition, Inc.

Our mission is to help grow the number of therapy animal teams volunteering and working in therapeutic, educational, and other special environments. Our vision is to be the leading resource for sharing the healing love of pets. A therapy animal team is comprised of a pet owner and their pet who have gone through training and testing to get registered as a team.  Registration provides insurance for the team while they are volunteering or working.  We have created a central organization to encompass all aspects of working with therapy animals, whether it's the trainers who help handlers prepare for the evaluation, or the registration organization that provides the testing and insurance, to the facilities and organizations who have or want therapy animal programs. In addition, we provide a community for all who are part of the field.

It may seem like a simple mission, "to help grow the number of therapy animal teams".  How do we fulfill our mission? By also fulfilling our vision: to become the leading resource for sharing the healing love of pets.  Let's break down our mission statement and help you understand what it is we actually do...

EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON HOW TO BECOME A THERAPY ANIMAL TEAM

We use a multi-faceted approach to educate the public about this wonderful volunteer service:

• Our annual Therapy Animal Expo brings together all the resources a person needs to become a therapy animal team.
• Our Speaker Series provides learning opportunities for aspiring teams and already registered teams alike.
• Train the Trainer is an educational series for professional dog trainers. This program, currently in development, will assist these professionals in providing the type of training needed to prepare dogs for therapy work.
• Informational meetings are designed to guide aspiring teams through the process of becoming registered therapy teams.
• Proactive media enables us to share stories about the wonderful work of therapy animal teams to increase interest in becoming involved with pet therapy.

FACILITATE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGISTERED TEAMS

Finding the right volunteer opportunity – for the volunteer and the pet – is an important aspect of pet therapy.  We have the relationships and the tools to assist volunteers with finding the right match.

• We have first-hand knowledge of many local therapy animal programs and their requirements. We are happy to provide individual guidance to members seeking volunteer opportunities.
• Our Facebook Community Group page is a tool used by facilities and organizations to recruit teams.
• Our member e-newsletter includes information about volunteer opportunities.
• Our proposed volunteer database will enable facilities and organizations with therapy animal programs to post their own listings. Registered teams who are members of Therapy Animal Coalition will have these listings at their fingertips to find the perfect match for them. Stay tuned as we work toward making this tool a reality.

ASSIST FACILITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO START THERAPY ANIMAL PROGRAMS

No program?  No problem!

We have served in an advisory capacity to numerous local organizations about starting effective, responsible therapy animal programs.  Here are a few:

Our future vision is to build a “tool box" via an interactive website that will provide a road map to any facility or organization wanting to start a therapy animal program.