Our therapy dogs provide comfort and reassurance to children and adults navigating daily life or traumatic situations. Therapy Dog Teams (dog and handler) are all volunteers certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Each team must adhere to confidentiality guidelines; complete a background check; provide annual proof of liability insurance, registration, and vaccinations; and complete specialized training for working with juveniles.
Petting dogs help individuals feel at ease before and during court proceedings. Court employees, also, enjoy therapy dog visits.
Our therapy dog visits bring joy to children, young adults, and staff in schools. In cases of crisis, our dogs comfort students and teachers dealing with trauma.
In workplaces, our dogs quietly provide support to employees who benefit from petting a dog. Research proves that therapy dog visits reduce blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve mood.
17th Circuit Therapy Dogs visit many community events. Our furry friends always create smiles and improve mood.
We look for well-mannered, well-behaved dogs that enjoy meeting people.
Therapy dogs provide comfort and affection to various individuals and groups, while service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for their handlers who have disabilities.
Alliance of Therapy Dogs, Inc. is an international registry of certified therapy dog teams. ATD provides testing, certification, registration, support, and insurance for members who volunteer with their dogs in animal-assisted activities.
First of all, you must be certified by ATD and have six months of community visits. Then, contact Mary Ellen Commare at comer21@aol.com or 815-289-1568 to complete the process. We will be happy to have you!
Kathleen Alsup certifies for ATD and the 17th Circuit. Dogs who have been certified by another evaluator or another organization will need to be evaluated and approved by Kathleen Alsup prior to acceptance in the 17th Circuit program.
We recommend 2 visits per month. However, we have teams that do many more. We are understanding of individual circumstances and availability.
Yes, besides courtrooms and schools, there are many community events our dogs visit.
