Getting Started

DEAR does not provide therapy dog training directly. Instead we rely on outside organizations that have specially designed training:

1. AKC Canine Good Citizen program: If you are new to pet therapy, we strongly recommend starting with the AKC CGC program. This program provides training and testing for a series of basic skills that are a great foundation for moving into therapy work.
   
   

2. Therapy dog registration: DEAR requires that you and your dog be registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs or Pet Partners. This ensures you understand therapy dog basics and you are protected by liability insurance in the unlikely event something untoward happens. Both therapy dog organizations provide similar benefits and education, but they have different approaches to testing:

   • With Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD), you select a local representative from the ATD website. Then you work directly with that representative to schedule the tests. The testing occurs one-on-one in live facilities, including healthcare facilities.
     
     ATD performs a series of observational exams in live environments. The first is usually a walk-through in a dog-friendly retail setting like ACE Hardware,  Home Depot, or Lowe's. The other two are live visits in a medical setting like a nursing home. ATD does not require follow-up testing: you just resubmit paperwork/medical information every year.
     
     

   • With Pet Partners (PP), testing is usually performed in a group setting run by a local organization. In our area, Denver Pet Partners to the south and Larimer Animal People Partnership to the north are closest.
     
     PP performs a single test in a controlled, private environment and requires a retest every 2 years. While the PP test is more rigorous, you learn more about what to expect before going live in the real world. 

Both organizations are very good at what they do and are very supportive of their members. Some of our teams started with PP (to build skills) and then later switched to ATD (to reduce cost). If you are new to pet therapy, we recommend considering this approach.

Once you are registered with a therapy dog organization, the following steps get you onboard with DEAR:

• Register: Go to the New Member page and submit the "New DEAR Team" form.
  
  

• Walk-through: We set up a time to meet with new teams at the library before their first DEAR. It is basically just a dry run. You and your dog will come to the library and we hang out and talk for a bit in the room where the children read to us. The objective is twofold: we get a feel for you/your dog and you/your dog can tour the library room without the pressure of having children around right away.
  
  

• Web profile: The Our Teams page has a picture and a short bio for each of our dogs. When you are ready, send a picture and the text you'd like for your dog to the DEAR coordinator and they will upload it to the website for you.
  
  

• Poster: The library makes a poster for each dog and displays it in the main hallway outside where we host DEAR. When you are ready, you send a picture to the DEAR coordinator and they will work with the library to get the poster created.
  
  

• Bookmarks: The library makes bookmarks for us to hand out to the kids as they read. You will get to see one during your walk-through. The library prints and stores the bookmarks for us: when we arrive, we pick up a batch for handouts and turn back the leftovers for next time. When you are ready, the DEAR coordinator will send your web profile information to the library to have them create the bookmarks. See below for some examples.