Volunteering with Fido (Tucson, Oro Valley, Page: credit, living, military)

[yellowbelle]

Where in the Oro Valley / NW Tucson area could I volunteer with my dog? I envision visiting assisted living facilities or hospitals but I'm open to anything. She's 6 months old so she's still a puppy (though completely housebroken) and could benefit from some exposure to new things in a place that's open to a puppy that's still learning, in exchange for her services as a ridiculously cute visitor, companion and general ham. Or is she still just too young?

[suzy_q2010]

Call the facilities you are interested in and see if they already have therapy dog programs. If so, they could put you in touch with folks who can help you with it.

Thanks for being willing to do this!

[CheyDee]

The only place I know of is "Read to a Dog", which is a great program of the Pima County Public Library. (This includes NW Tucson & Oro Valley.) However, they require your dog be a certified therapy dog by an accrediting organization.

There are probably other places around too, which may/may not have the same requirements.

You could also check listings at the Volunteer Center of Tucson & Southern AZ (United Way) and volunteermatch.org.

[goldbear]

The hospital dog visit program and "read to a kid" program both require therapy-certified dogs. I don't know about assisted living facilities, so you will have to check. I believe that hospital dog visit dogs also have additional requirements like baths before each and every visit.

The first step towards therapy-certification is getting the Good Canine Citizen certification. I've found the local dog clubs (rather than big-box stores) to have both the best and the most wallet-friendly programs ; Old Pueblo Dog Training was excellent. They also offer puppy courses.

So if you can't find assisted living facilities that will allow for puppies, your best bet is dog-friendly charity walks. There are also a great many shelters and dog programs that would love for you to volunteer and leave Fido at home; however they are really looking for long-term commitment and stability from their volunteers.

Some other things that you can do are at-home pet-sitting. I remember seeing an article about long-term pet-sitters for serving military member's dogs.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by goldbear

The hospital dog visit program and "read to a kid" program both require therapy-certified dogs. I don't know about assisted living facilities, so you will have to check. I believe that hospital dog visit dogs also have additional requirements like baths before each and every visit.

The first step towards therapy-certification is getting the Good Canine Citizen certification. I've found the local dog clubs (rather than big-box stores) to have both the best and the most wallet-friendly programs ; Old Pueblo Dog Training was excellent. They also offer puppy courses.

So if you can't find assisted living facilities that will allow for puppies, your best bet is dog-friendly charity walks. There are also a great many shelters and dog programs that would love for you to volunteer and leave Fido at home; however they are really looking for long-term commitment and stability from their volunteers.

Some other things that you can do are at-home pet-sitting. I remember seeing an article about long-term pet-sitters for serving military member's dogs.

At least one very good organization that does this (I hope to get involved myself in the near future) is www.dogsondeployment.org