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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Animal Services, Animals, Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations, Human Service Organizations, Human Services, Personal Social Services
Mission: TheraPetics, founded in 1992, helps people with physical disabilities to live more independently and with a better quality of life in a world that is largely directed toward the requirements of those with full mobility. Our program trains and distributes highly skilled assistance animals known as service dogs. A service dog helps the individual to live and work with less help from others, greater confidence in themselves, and a vastly improved self- image. The partnership is long term and represents an evolving and growing relationship that can adapt to changing conditions and circumstances.
Programs: A service dog which has completed TheraPetics' very intense two year program is a true working partner and is able to help maneuver a wheelchair, open, hold and then close most types of doors (including those on appliances), retrieve dropped items such as keys or a purse, operate wall switches, doorbells, and elevator buttons, open and close window blinds, carry school books, and bring needed items such as a telephone to their partner. They do all of this on command and without being distracted by other animals, crowds, or machinery. A service dog has the legal right to accompany their partner into any public area, building, or business, as well as onto all types of public transport, including aircraft. A service dog is appropriate for individuals with a wide variety of debilitating physical conditions, some of the most common include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, quadriplegia, paraplegia, and rheumatoid arthritis. Children, for whom being different because of disability is particularly difficult, respond to an astonishing degree to the service dog partnership.