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A therapy dog is a dog that might be trained to provide affection, comfort and love to people in several locations. These dogs are defined but not covered or protected under the Federal Housing Act or Americans with Disabilities act. They also do not have public access rights with exception to the specific places they are visiting and working. Typically the dog would be granted rights by individual facilities only. Therapy dogs are subjected to several test to ensure that they are fit for the job. These test look at their ability to block out distractions, comfortable around a variety of people with a variety of disabilities, and are comfortable and able to walk through many different terrains.

The use of dogs for therapeutic reasons has been demonstrated by many people over the last few centuries. These people include, but are not limited to, Florence Nightingale, Sigmund Freud, and Elaine Smith.

Therapy dogs are usually not assistance or service dogs, but can be one or both with some organizations. Many organizations provide evaluation and registration for therapy dogs, sometimes with focus on a particular therapeutic practice such as reading to dogs.

Therapy dogs have several benefits ranging from Therapeutic and Psychological benefits to academic and cognitive benefits.

Certification
Therapy dogs provide comfort and love to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, disaster areas, and to people with anxiety disorders or autism. Therapy dogs are usually not assistance or service dogs, but can be one or both with some organizations. In the U.S., therapy dogs are not service animals and are not afforded the same privileges as service animals are. Therapy dogs earn the AKC Therapy Dog title. .In order for a dog to be a good candidate to become a therapy dog and receive an AKC certify title they should be calm and social with strangers. They should also be able to adjust to loud noises and fast movements. . There are certain training steps that are needed for a dog to become AKC certified. To start, you need to socialize your dog, get them used to being around people and other animals. Then they go through test to become AKC certified. They are tested on behaviors such as no jumping and being able to walk on a loose leash. Once the dog becomes AKC certified they are signed up for training classes. The first class is called distraction-proofing class which helps the dog become more focused. Fter these classes, dogs then move on to therapy training class itself. Throughout therapy training, the dog and the dog's owner are prepared for therapy visits. .

Although therapy dogs are not limited to a certain size or breed, common breeds used in therapy dog application and research includes Golden Retrievers and Labradors.

Therapy dogs offer many benefits to people and patients. Therapy dogs help patients to participate in physical activities. They also help encourage them to have cognitive, social, and communication goals.

History
Florence Nightingale pioneered the ideas of of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). She discovered that patients of different ages living in a psychiatric institution were relieved with anxiety when they were able to spend time with small animals. Freud believed that dogs could sense certain levels of tension being felt by his patients. Freud also used his dog to communicate with his patients. He felt as if his patients were more comfortable talking to his dog at first and this opened up doors for them to later feel more comfortable talking to him. The use of therapy can also be attributed to Elaine Smith, a registered nurse. While a chaplain and his dog visited, Smith notice the comfort that this visit brought the patients. In 1976, Smith started a program for training dogs to visit institutions, and the demand for therapy dogs continued to grow.

Classification
Many organizations provide evaluation and registration for therapy dogs. Typical tests might ensure that a dog can handle sudden loud or strange noises; can walk on assorted unfamiliar surfaces comfortably; are not frightened by people with canes, wheelchairs, or unusual styles of walking or moving; get along well with children and with the elderly; and so on. Institutions may invite, limit, or prohibit access by therapy dogs. If allowed, many institutions have requirements for therapy dogs. United States-based Therapy Dogs International (TDI) bans the use of service dogs in their therapy dog program. Service dogs perform tasks for persons with disabilities and have a legal right to accompany their owners in most areas.

In Canada, St John Ambulance provides therapy dog certification. In the UK, Pets As Therapy (PAT) provides visiting dogs and cats to establishments where pets are otherwise not available. Also in the UK Therapy Dogs Nationwide (TDN) provide visiting dogs to establishments.

Three Types of Therapy Dogs
Go through and rewrite??? There are three classifications for therapy dogs dog. The most common type of therapy dogs are "Therapeutic Visitation", dogs under this title are usually household pets. The owner of these dogs will take their pets to hospitals, nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities to visit patients. These dogs are used to improve the mental health of patients by simply putting a smile on their faces. Another type of therapy dogs are "Animal- assisted therapy" dogs (AAT). Dogs who fall under this category have the duty of providing assistant to patients for reach certain goals towards their recovery. They work to help patients gain skills such as motor skills, use of limbs and hand-eye coordination. These dogs are usually based in rehabilitation facilities. The last type of therapy dog is a "Facility Therapy Dog. Such dogs usually work in nursing homes and have a handler who works at the facility. They live at the facility and help keep patients with Alzheimer disease and other mental illnesses to keep them from getting into trouble.

The Difference Between Service and Therapy Dogs
Service dogs are dogs who are trained to assist patients in their day to day physical needs. Service dogs help those with disabilities pursue everyday life with safety and independence. Many service dogs have a "no petting" policy while they are on the job to keep them from being distract from their task. Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs are dogs who are trained to provide psychological or physiological comfort to patients in all different situations. These dogs are actually trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handler. Therapy dogs and their handlers also do not have the same rights as service dogs and their handlers as they can be rejected from being allowed in businesses, restaurant and many other locations.

Psychological
Reported by many, Animal Assisted Therapy has been known to help many psychological health issues such as anxiety, depression, social skills, and simply improving the moods of the patient.

Some colleges and universities in the US bring therapy dogs to campus to help students de-stress. These campus events are often referred to as "Therapy Fluffies", a term coined by Torrey Trust, the original founder of the UC San Diego therapy dog de-stress event. In 2009, Sharon Franks, shared the idea of bringing therapy dogs to campus with the UC San Diego Office of Student Wellness.

Since the autumn of 2010, "Therapy Fluffies" has visited the UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Riverside campuses during the week before mid-term and final exams. These events give students and staff the opportunity to pet and relax with therapy-certified dogs. The university also works with the Inland Empire Pet Partners, a service of the Humane Society to bring therapy-certified dogs to the campus’ Mental Health Day Spa, held quarterly.

In 2014, Concordia University, Wisconsin became the first university in the US to adopt a full-time therapy dog to its campus in Mequon, WI. The golden retriever, Zoey, is a Lutheran church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog, trained to interact with people at churches, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, events, and in disaster response situations.

Cognitive
Programs such as the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program to promote literacy and communication skills. The practice uses therapy dogs to encourage children to read aloud by giving them a nonjudgmental listener. It has been proven that the academic performance and children's enthusiasm for reading has increased by having a therapeutic dog with them, especially in children with special education.

An article published by American Journal of Alzheimer’s Diseases & Other Dementias wrote that during visits with dogs, residence with dementia were able to be involved in special activities and were more verbal then usual.