In 2018, we acknowledged the need for a training and certification program that is robust, comprehensive and ensures that teams volunteering in our schedule have the knowledge, preparation and practice to visit a variety of locations with confidence. We developed a training and testing curriculum which has since been accepted by the American Kennel Club as one of their approved and listed Therapy Dog certification programs in the US. Our training takes place over four 2-hour sessions, meeting on Sunday afternoons in March and September/October from 2-4 pm. Our first official training took place in March of 2022, and our first class of 6 Canine Ambassadors graduated and began volunteering in our communities.
Our workshops are led by veteran therapy dog handlers who have themselves volunteered hundreds of hours, interacting with people of all ages in a wide variety of settings. Those settings include public and private schools, nursing homes and hospitals, senior centers, libraries, hospice, special education programs and more. Our trainers prepare future Canine Ambassador teams to safely and confidently share canine love and to anticipate and manage a variety of situations which may be encountered while visiting these locations. Our trainers are also all members of our specially trained “Canine Comfort Crew”, experienced handlers who have received advanced training in bringing their dogs into sensitive or critical incidents.
Prerequisite:
Our workshops are open to dogs of any breed or size at least one year old with excellent obedience and a reliably mild temperament. All teams attending the workshops must have received “Canine Good Citizen” (CGC or CGCA) or “Community Canine” designation from the American Kennel Club or equivalent. We will have a “meet and greet” with each team for a basic assessment prior to taking the class. CGC classes are offered by many very good dog trainers here on the South Shore. Let us know if you would like contacts for those who we have worked with in the past. If you do not currently have CGC, let us know and we can help you get on a path to achieving that in time to enroll. Our program is offered with the hope that certified handlers will join our community of handlers and their dogs, and begin to volunteer as they can at one or more of the locations on our busy schedule.
Next Steps:
If you and your dog meet the requirements above and are available to attend all weeks of the next available session, please click here to complete the online canine ambassador form. Space is limited to no more than 8 teams per session. We’ll arrange for our meet and greet, and then finalize the class at the end of February. If you have not yet attained CGC, reach out to a trainer and get that done so you can be included in the Fall class.
March dates: March 5, 12, 19 and 26. 2-4 pm at the Paul Pratt Memorial Library on Ripley Road in Cohasset.
Fall dates: September 24, October 1, 15 and 22.
The workshop fee is $100 for the 4 training sessions, and includes liability insurance for one year for certified teams any time they volunteer for visits on our schedule or for another approved visit. Workshop fees can be paid via Venmo or check at the first class. Annual membership is $50 after the first year. Workshop fee for 2 handlers is $150.