Lily Canter explores the rise (and benefits) of emotional support dogs.
Research shows petting a dog can reduce stress hormones in humans, so it is little surprise that 2023 saw online searches for emotional support animals rocket by 58% and the phrase #therapypet tagged on TikTok more than 5.6 million times.
Charities have also seen growing demand for therapy dogs, with organisations like Pets As Therapy having a waiting list of 4,300 establishments.
Therapy dogs are generally used for visiting schools, prisons, hospitals and care homes to give comfort to vulnerable children and adults.
“It’s so moving watching a child react when you have a dog with you. Particularly when the child is in so much pain and struggling,” said Josephine Segal, co-founder of Spread A Smile, which works with hospitalised children nationwide.
“It takes away any distraction from all of the horrible procedures a child would undertake in a hospital environment. They can be having blood tests done on one hand and in the other they are stroking a dog on the bed. And for the parents it’s wonderful to see their children open up and talk,” adds Josephine.
Therapy dogs are sometimes referred to as community dogs, emotional support dogs or reading dogs, and unlike assistance dogs, they do not usually require specific training, but instead are assessed for their temperament and obedience. Although they are allowed into public buildings on an organised visit, unlike assistance dogs, they do not have access rights to premises under the 2010 Equality Act.
There is no regulation or certification for therapy dogs, so it can be a little tricky to know how to get your dog involved in this type of work. Options include joining a pet therapy charity as a volunteer, or becoming an independent volunteer or paid for specialist.
Pets As Therapy assess dogs before connecting owners with organisations on their waiting list. Meanwhile, charities like Dogs for Good have their own in house training volunteers can sign up to, whilst Spread A Smile use Pets As Therapy assessors.
If you decide to work independently, then it is important to look for a trainer or behaviourist to assess your dog ahead of therapy work, who is a member of a professional organisation.
“People get in touch with me because they have identified a group of people who would really benefit from visits with their dog, or they don’t have a venue in mind, but know their dog would be brilliant at therapy work and would like to ex
