If you are the owner of a well-behaved, friendly dog, and are looking for a way to give back to the community, Bronson would enjoy speaking with you about making your furry friend an official Pet Therapy Volunteer. The Bronson Pet Therapy program is a great way to put a smile on the face of patients who are staying at Bronson and are missing their pets at home. Part of our mission at Bronson is to provide our patients with a comfortable, positive place to receive care, and the Pet Therapy program is yet another way we are realizing that mission. If you feel that you and your dog would like to volunteer and help put a smile on the face of someone going through a tough time, see the below requirements for joining our Bronson Pet Therapy program.

Therapy Dog Requirements:

Is Your Dog Ready for Therapy Dog Visits? Fill out our questionnaire to get started.

1. Approved dogs include privately owned pets, service dogs and service-dogs-in-training.  Privately owned pets must be 2 years of age. 
2. Dog and Owner must pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, a 10-part national American Kennel Club standard obedience, temperament and handling test given at the end of many dog training classes.    
3. Letter of recommendation from the dog’s veterinarian commenting on temperament and the dogs overall health.
4. Dog may not consume Raw Animal Protein in their diet including beef, chicken, pork, fish, raw eggs, or other domesticated or wild animal meat.
5. Membership in a National Pet Therapy organization is recommeded, but not required. These organizations usually have liability insurance coverage as part of the annual dues.

          The following vaccinations must be up to date and checked annually.

• Rabies (annual or triennial)
• Distemper
• Parvovirus
• Negative Fecal exam for roundworm and hookworm

 Volunteer Owner Requirements:

1. The owner applies to be a Bronson volunteer.  On-boarding includes: application, interview, back-ground check, health-screening (immunizations and TB Test), on-line orientation courses and classroom orientation. Visit this link for volunteer applications and additional information.
2. Minimum age for volunteers is 18.
3. After the team passes the CGC test, they will be interviewed and evaluated in the hospital setting.
4. Volunteer owners are responsible for bathing the dog within 24 hours of each hospital visit and performing a flea/tick checks prior to every visit.  Dog must be well groomed with nails trimmed and filed.
5. The volunteer owner must remain in control of their animal at all times.  The animal must be leashed at all times and handled by the volunteer owner who was tested with the animal.  Acceptable collars are buckle, choke chain or halter.  At no time should the animal leave the owner’s sight.
6. Volunteer owners are responsible for monitoring animals during the visit to detect signs of overheating, aggressiveness, elimination needs, etc.  If the animal is misbehaving, the volunteers should leave immediately after notifying unit staff.

The pet therapy team commits 1-2 hours per pet therapy visit; according to the dog’s stamina;  including set up, visitation, and cleanup.  The team is assigned to one unit or two small units.  Most teams visit weekly.  Some teams come every-other week, alternating with another team.  

For more information contact:

Volunteer Services

(269) 341-8754

haass@bronsonhg.org