Therapy Dogs International Testing
Therapy Dog International in a non-profit organization run strictly by volunteers who are dedicated to registering properly trained handlers and their dogs. TDI was founded in 1976 and is considered one of the largest and most sought after therapy dog charities in the United States. There are certified therapy dogs in all the 50 states as well as Canada and with TDI alone there are over 24,000 certified dog and handler teams today.
Dogs that are certified as a therapy dog are often used in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, catastrophic events or wherever they are needed. Research has found that the presence of a therapy dog has been proven to deliver calmness and stress relieving effects that make them great at helping those suffering from depression, loneliness, PTSD, server anxiety or violent situations such as domestic abuse and victims of crime.
Any dog, either purebred or of mixed ancestry can be certified as a therapy dog provided they are healthy, minimum a year old, and show consistent compliance of basic skills. While participation of a training class is not required to be a therapy dog, they do often help prepare you for the test to earn your certification.
Cindy is a certified TDI evaluator and would be able to answer any questions you might have as well as provide you with a schedule of future test dates or you can like the K9 Elementary Facebook page and receive notifications of upcoming events.