Independent Therapy Dogs, Inc.
Independent Therapy Dogs, Inc.
Independent Therapy Dogs, Incorporated is a California 501(c)(3) corporation that shares the wonderful joys of therapy dogs with people of all ages.
We bring trained therapy dogs to a variety of events and locations, including university de-stress festivals, elementary classrooms, convalescent homes, libraries and more!
All our therapy dog visits are free.
If you are interested in being a part of this organization, please visit the Application page.
If you would like to donate to this organization or sponsor a therapy dog outreach event, please visit the Donate page.
Interested in learning more? Email us: itdi-2010@att.net
What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?
What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?
- The dog demonstrates behavior that is reliable, controllable, and predictable and inspires confidence in the person or persons it is interacting with.
- The dog actively solicits interactions with people and is accepting and forgiving of differences in people’s reactions and behavior.
- The dog demonstrated relaxed body posture, moments of sustained eye contact (dependent upon the breed) and relaxed facial expressions.
- The dog is more people-oriented than dog-oriented.
- The dog likes being petted, touched and hugged.
- The dog is able to remain calm with people doing things such as speaking loudly, clumsy movements and clapping.
- When approached from the rear, the dog may show curiosity, but does not startle, growl, jump up, bark, eliminate, act shy or resentful.
- The dog can walk on various surfaces reasonably comfortably, including carpet, concrete, asphalt, tile, linoleum, rubber matting and wooden floors.
- The dog can walk on various surfaces reasonably comfortably, including carpet, concrete, asphalt, tile, linoleum, rubber matting and wooden floors.
- The dog can be held by a person other than its owner for several minutes, continuing to demonstrate good manners with no vocalizing or extreme nervousness.
- The dog is outgoing, friendly and confident in new settings.