Evaluaton & Registration
Evaluation & Registration
The Mutts on a Mission evaluation process determines how the handler and the dog work together as a team to demonstrate the team’s skills and aptitudes for therapy work. We offer a one-day workshop to help handlers learn the team skills required to become a registered therapy dog team. We evaluate teams to help avoid problems related to liability for both the handler and our entire volunteer program. We meet with potential teams to discuss the details of our registration and evaluation process and answer your questions.
The Handler – A handler should have good social skills and be confident and natural in their interactions. They should demonstrate a real connection with their dog and be interested and open to meeting people. They should know how to listen to clients and know how to facilitate the ‘balance’ in the visit between talking and listening.
The Dog – Your dog should have a sufficient level of training to ensure that it is confident, reliable, predictable, and controllable, even in crowded or noisy situations. Your special pup should consistently demonstrate that it is well behaved and have good manners. Dogs must be current on vaccinations, free of any signs of ill health, and free of internal and external parasites.
Your dog must have lived with you for at least six months; must be 18 months old and younger than 10 years to be eligible for a first-time screening for our program. (The 10-year guideline is only for first-time canine applicants.)
For more information, give us a woof!