There is extensive vetting and testing of therapy dog teams but most of it is geared toward the team and the dog, and not so much for the handler, but a partnership between the University of Saskatchewan and St. John Ambulance has now filled that gap.  St. John Ambulance has a therapy dog program.

USask researcher, Dr. Colleen Dell explains that therapy dog teams visit hospitals, older adult and special care homes, addiction treatment centres, prisons, airports, businesses and university campuses. Handlers will need a criminal record and vulnerable sector check, and references along with an in-person evaluation, but Dell says there was a gap for the handlers around what to expect and how to conduct yourself when on the job.

Through the partnership, the research team amassed first-hand experiences, which included therapy dog teams responding to community needs with the Humboldt bus crash and visiting clients at addictions treatment facilities, to come up with a free online course for handlers or anyone who is interested in checking it out.
Dell says the aim is to increase therapy dog handlers’ awareness and skills.

Click here for information about the free online course.