Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) is first and foremost a 501c3 nonprofit. We are an international registry of certified therapy dog teams. At ATD, we provide testing, certification, registration, support, and insurance for Members who volunteer with their dogs in animal-assisted activities. Our objective is to form a network of caring individuals and their special dogs who are willing to share smiles and joy with people, young and old alike.
Though our focus is volunteer work, ATD receives a lot of inquiries about employees wanting to bring their dog to work and needing the credentials to meet the requirements of their employer. These workplaces can vary from schools to court rooms, funeral homes to police stations. We have seen the shift for therapy dogs to be included in many different occupations and we see value in having a therapy dog serve in this way.
ATD loves that therapy dogs are being recognized for the service they provide and are being utilized in so many different places, but it is important to make sure you understand and are covered under insurance in case an incident were to occur.
Read on to find out why it is important to be covered under insurance on your therapy dog visits and what visits fall under an official ATD therapy dog visit.
Why do I need insurance?
Most facilities require their visiting teams to be certified by an organization because they want to be sure the team has been evaluated and is a good fit for this kind of work. Facilities want proof of adequate liability insurance on any teams working in their facility. ATD’s liability insurance policy covers you as a team in the case of an incident while you are volunteering. These incidents can be anything from a dog bite to someone being headbutted by your dog. Insurance also covers property damage from an incident, such as someone tripping over your dog’s leash and ruining a decoration at the facility. ATD currently has a $5,000,000 liability policy on each volunteer team.
What qualifies as a volunteer visit?
An official ATD therapy dog visit means the primary reason they are visiting is to provide pet therapy with a mutual understanding between the Handler and the facility or person receiving the visit that the handler/dog team will provide volunteer animal-assisted therapy while following ATD’s Rules and Regulations and that such interaction will be covered by ATD’s liability insurance so long as all rules are followed. Handlers cannot be paid by their employers while making a visit if they want to fall under the ATD volunteer insurance policy. Handlers can visit at their place of employment if it is before or after their work hours and they are not “on the clock.” Volunteers cannot accept payment for their therapy dog visits. However, they can direct facilities to the ATD website to make a tax-deductible donation to ATD.
What if I am being paid?
ATD has many Handlers who also use their dogs at their place of employment. If you are interested in using your dog at your place of employment, you can purchase an additional insurance policy through your own provider or ATD has partnered with Business Insurers of the Carolinas. Business Insurers of the Carolinas offers an at-work insurance policy for therapy dogs and their handlers. Many optional insurance policies that are offered require teams to be registered with a national organization such as ATD because they are relying on our testing process to be sure the dog and handler are a good fit for this line of work.
While you are at work being paid, your dog would not be visiting as an ATD therapy dog, therefore the red heart tag cannot be worn. Because your dog is not acting as an ATD therapy dog during work hours, it is still required that you and your dog make one volunteer visit every three months, per ATD rules. If you do not meet the one visit every three months, you will need to be reobserved by a Tester/Observer (T/O) before you can resume visiting. If you go longer than 6 months without a volunteer visit, you will need to complete the entire testing process with a T/O before you can resume visiting.
Alliance of Therapy Dogs is an organization filled with over 18,000 members who want to share their dogs with others. Through the kindness of their hearts, they do not expect compensation for these visits. ATD’s goal is to continue spreading smiles and joy through our volunteer work. While we appreciate our Members who also use their dogs in their professions, we want everyone to be safe and have the appropriate insurance policies to keep them covered on their visits. If you are interested in learning more about the additional work insurance policy through Business Insurers of the Carolinas, you can find the application in your ATD Member Portal or contact the ATD Office at office@therapydogs.com.
