FAQs

What is Animal Assisted Activity?

AAA is the casual "meet-and-greet" activity that involves pets visiting people. The same activity can be repeated with many people, unlike a therapy program that is tailored to a particular person or medical condition.

- Delta Society Pet Partners Team Training Course Manual, 5th Edition, December 2000.

What is Animal Assisted Therapy?

AAT is goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. Goals can be physical, educational, motivational or mental health oriented. In addition to goals, AAT programs measure the individual's progress.

- Delta Society Pet Partners Team Training Course Manual, 5th Edition, December 2000.

Can I take my dog to an extended care facility without being registered?

All Paws With a Purpose teams must be certified for pet therapy work. You and your dog should be evaluated by a trained evaluator. Registration also eliminates the risk of not having the proper insurance.

Why should my pet and I be evaluated and certified?

Organizations like the Delta Society set standards for AAA and AAT and help ensure that visiting teams have the skills and aptitude to make a good team. Once registered, you and your pet are covered by a liability insurance policy while volunteering. Many facilities consider the Delta Society requirements as the gold standard and have adopted them as their own.

Does Delta Society require classroom instruction prior to Pet Partners Registration?

No, classroom instruction is not required. Delta Society offers a home study course.

Does the age of the animal matter?

Yes it does, an animal must be at least one year of age to begin providing therapy. Animals younger than one year of age should be enrolled in a training program.

Does the animal have to be spayed or neutered?

No, an animal does not need to be spayed or neutered to provide Animal Assisted Therapy.

Does my animal have to have all its vaccinations?

Delta Society registration requires that each animal must be up to date with rabies vaccination and any other state required vaccine. Individual facilities may have their own requirements.

What kind of animals can provide Animal Assisted Therapy?

Almost any animal can provide Animal Assisted Therapy. With the correct training, animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, some birds, and even llamas are successfully used as therapy animals. At present, Paws With a Purpose accepts dogs only.

How do I know if my animal is suited for therapy work?

You and your pet should have an interest in people and enjoy visiting. Your pet should be healthy, have at least a basic level of training and be reliable, even in crowded or unexpected situations. Some essentials:

• Animal likes being petted, touched and hugged
• Animal demonstrates reliable, controllable, predictable behavior
• Animal actively solicits interactions with people
• Animal is able to remain calm in disruptive settings
• Animal is outgoing, friendly and confident in new settings
  

If your animal is unpredictable, doesn't like being around people, or is aggressive to people or other animals it would not be suitable for therapy work.

Can I get involved with Paws With a Purpose without a pet?

Yes, there are many opportunities to get involved. Volunteers can assist with fundraising / outreach events including health fairs, our annual yard sale, calendar sales, maintain records of places visited or the group scrapbook, or be a volunteer for Delta evaluations.

Can I get paid for providing AAA or AAT?

No, Paws With a Purpose is a volunteer organization. Volunteers donate their time to bring happiness to others. Any expenses you incur providing therapy, including mileage, and extra expenses for grooming, may be tax deductible.

What is the difference between service, therapy, companion, and "social" animals?

Service animals are legally defined by the American's with Disabilities Act (1990) and are trained to meet the disability-related needs of their handlers. Federal laws protect the rights of individuals with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in public places.

Federal law does not legally define therapy animals, but some states have laws defining therapy animals. They provide people with contact to animals, but are not limited to working with people who have disabilities. They are usually the personal pets of their handlers, and work with their handlers to provide services to others. Federal laws have no provisions for people to be accompanied by therapy animals in places of public accommodation that have "no pets" policies. Therapy animals usually are not service animals.

Companion animal is not legally defined, but is accepted as another term for pet. "Social/therapy" animals likewise have no legal definition. They often are animals that did not complete service animal or service dog training due to health, disposition, trainability, or other factors, and are made available as pets for people who have disabilities. These animals might or might not meet the definition of service animals.

What is the cost to receive services?

Services are provided at no cost.

How much time do volunteers have to give?

There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available. There is no set number of visits required of volunteers; however we would like to have each team make a minimum of two visits per month.  A typical visit last from one hour to one and half hours, not including travel time.

How is the dog certified?

There are two national organizations that provide certification opportunities that have local representatives, Delta Society and Therapy Dog Incorporated.  Paws with a Purpose accepts certification from both organizations.  The Delta Society and Therapy Dog Incorporated have there own requirements and paperwork.  For additional information, please visit the "Get Involved" tab of our web site.

Do you all breed dogs?

The dogs used in all of our programs to provide services are our volunteer's own personal pets.  Paws with a Purpose does not sell, kennel or breed therapy dogs.

Do you train therapy dogs?

Paws with a Purpose relies on their volunteers to train their own personal pets to become therapy dogs.  We recommend that folks begin training with a basic obedience class along with socializing the dog. We are familiar with the following dog training schools. Companion Dog Training School at 236-9100, the Obedience Club of Asheville (Eileen Wilson 251-1114 or Jean Peck 692-9199), or A Good Dog's Life at 277-7529.  Web site links to these dog training schools are provided under the "links" section.

Do you rescue or accept dogs as donations for your programs?

No, we can not rescue nor accept donations of dogs or puppies.  The dogs that provide services are our volunteer's on personal pets.

What is the best breed for this type of work?

There is no preferred breed for therapy dogs.  Our organization involves all types of dogs, from a five pound Chihuahua to a 100+ pound Doberman Pincher.  Traits of a good candidate would be a confident, but laid back dog.

Is this like a service animal?

No, therapy dogs are not considered service animals.  Service animals are governed by a federal law, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).  Therapy dogs are permitted in facilities by invitation, not by law.

Will you come to my home?

No, due to liability issues, home visits are not provided.

Do you provide services or offer programs outside of Western North Carolina?

No, services are not currently being provided outside of Buncombe, McDowell or Henderson counties.  Presentations and special request are considered on a case by case basis in Western North Carolina.