Making A Pawsitive Impact
Canines for Therapy trains individuals and their pet dogs to provide canine-assisted therapy in public spaces such as libraries, schools, hospitals, group homes, and more. Our Therapy Program helps teams develop the skills and confidence needed to offer comfort, connection, and support to those in need.
Therapy Visit Request
Are you a business or organization in the Wilmington or Raleigh area looking to bring comfort and connection to your community?
Click the link below to submit a Therapy Request and bring the healing power of therapy dogs to your location.
What is a Therapy Dog?
A therapy dog is a personal pet that has been trained and certified to conduct visits within their community. Their purpose is to bring comfort and joy to the people they are visiting who may not otherwise have access to a pet.
Therapy dogs are not the same as service dogs and don’t have the same public access.
Therapy Program Requirements
- Dog must be at least one year of age and have been owned by their handler for at least 6 months.
- Dog must have their AKC Canine Good Citizen certification and know basic obedience – if your dog is not currently certified, you can search for a class by clicking here.
- Dog must pass a basic health screening and be up to date on vaccinations.
- Dog cannot be fed a raw diet.
- Dog cannot have been trained to be aggressive or encouraged to bite.
- Neck buckle collars, cloth martingale collars, or head harnesses are the only equipment allowed. A 6 foot leash is required – no retractable leashes may be used.
- Handler must complete a criminal background check.
- Dog and handler may not be registered with any other therapy organization.
Become a Therapy Team
Courses are offered in both Wilmington, NC, and Raleigh, NC, and are held once a week over a period of 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the needs and progress of each team.
If you are interested in becoming a therapy team, click Apply Now below to be redirected to the Registration Application on Better Impact for more information.
Existing Teams
To log in to your Better Impact account, click here.
To renew your therapy certification, click here.
