Greyhound Retirement Home

Therapy Dogs

Ray and Kristy are both certified through the Delta Society's Pet Partners Program as therapy dogs. Along with their human dad as handler they make visits to patients and residents of several Seattle area healthcare facilities on a volunteer basis.

This page offers some basic information on Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Activities, the Delta Society Pet Partners Program and Ray and Kristy's adventures as therapy dogs. Please visit the Delta Society website for more information.

What Is a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs are not service dogs. Therapy dogs provide animal contact to people who may or may not have disabilities. The Delta Society's Pet Partners Program trains and screens volunteers and their pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other types of facilities.

The Delta Society classifies the work we do in two distinct categories: Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal Assisted Activities (AAA). The following definitions from Delta's documentation describe the differences between AAT and AAA:

"Animal Assisted Therapy is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope or practice of his/her profession.

AAT is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning. AAT is provided in a variety of settings and may be group or individual in nature. This process is documented and evaluated."

"Animal Assisted Activities provide opportunities for motivational, educational, recreational, and/or therapeutic benefits to enhance quality of life. AAA are delivered in a variety of environments by specifically trained  professionals, paraprofessionals, and/or volunteers, in association with animals that meet specific criteria."

Ray began his career as a therapy dog in March 2003. Since then we have made regular visits to residents and patients at Bailey Boushay House, Children's Hospital and Medical Center and a variety of other Seattle area healthcare facilities. Ray's gregarious personality is particularly well suited to this work and he seems to truly enjoy his job. While it's impossible to know exactly what these dogs understand, Ray like other therapy dogs seems to have some comprehension of his role and the purpose of his visits. If only they could talk...

The Spring 2005 edition of Interactions Magazine, a Delta Society publication, includes an article about Therapy Dogs visiting hospice patients and their families. Ray's visits at Bailey-Boushay House are prominently featured in the article. Click here to download a copy.

Confidentiality prohibits us from posting pictures of actual AAT/AAA visits. The following photos were taken in our various therapy dog classes and evaluations. The people in these pictures are role-playing and are not actual patients or healthcare professionals.

Click on the thumbnail images to enlarge.