Chatting with a Pro

Recently we had a chance to interview a high school counselor about Milo the therapy dog! Here is what Milos handler had to say:

1). How did you become interesting in using a therapy animal with your job?

We invited therapy animals in for finals for students before COVID here at the school and that got me interested.

2). What approach did you take for training Milo? Did you go through a training program together or home training, etc.? Therapy animals have to be certified.

Milo and I are actually a certified therapy team through Pet Partners. We volunteer through North Star Therapy Animals (they only take Pat Partner Certified teams). In order to be certified through Pet Partners, we had to complete 2 obedience classes and 1 therapy dog class. I completed an on-line class and an online test. Then Milo and I had a 45-minute final practical test to be certified. We also had to send in updated medical records, etc. for him. It is quite a process, and it took us about 18 months.

3). How long did the training take you to complete?

18 months, but COVID did factor into that slightly.

4). How do students respond to having Milo in your office? And/or how does Milo respond during their time of need?

Milo knows that he is working when on his gentle leader. That is what we tested with. He is very in tune to students and likes to sit at their feet when they are in my office. He can sense when someone is upset and generally goes to them in that instance. I have brought him in to see other counselor’s students when they are upset, and he has brought a calm presence. You can see an upset student take a breath when they see him and breathe more easily with him there. The students have loved having him more than I could imagine.

5). What advice would you give someone contemplating completing training for a therapy animal?

I would encourage them to do it as it has been so rewarding. I never expected to get so much out of it myself. It is wonderful to see what a therapy dog can do for someone. Go to a reputable place and don’t take any short cuts. (We did all of our classes through All Breed Obedience a local company). The training is what makes your dog ready. I am confident in what Milo can do thanks to our training process and I know what is expected of him and me when we are working together. North Star Therapy Animals has information about becoming a certified team on their website and a list of agencies where training is offered. That is where I started when getting going with Milo.

6). Has Milo ever been exposed to an emergency situation (lights, sirens, fast paced movements, etc.)?

Yes, that is part of his training. They learn not to react to loud noises, sounds, etc. They emulate a hospital setting in our training so that dogs are exposed. They are trained not to react to those types of things. That is also part of passing the test to become a team. They also have to maneuver in large crowds like school and hospital hallways and all of that is part of the preparation as well.

Milos handler really emphasized being a team. It is not the animal that is providing a service. You are a team, and it is the handler's job to ensure the animal can do their job. This is a task that not all animals are able to perform. Just like humans, there a personality and drive that is required to be a healthcare provider.... or therapy animal in this case.

Next week we will be interviewing a teacher in the special education department who utilizes Cosmo, a therapy animal for her students. If you have any questions, you would like us to ask a handler please comment and we will discuss them in the interview. Please join us for more interview response in our next blog by Two ATs and A Blog! #TwoATsAndABlog