Therapy Dog comforting a young patient in the hospital.

Coming Soon

Healing starts with 4 Paws

Gateway Canine has begun the process of building their highly requested therapy team. Classes are currently being scheduled. Programs are being planned. T's are being crossed, and I's are being dotted. Our goal for 2022 is to focus on the building blocks of a successful program that will provide training for privately owned pets who wish to share their time with children, the elderly, and other's in need. And to also establish a program providing facility dogs for other organizations as well. We will continue to update here as we can.

What makes our therapy team a step above the rest? We believe that the first step in healing, no matter the circumstance , is education. Education on the many different ways dogs cannot only help humans, but ways they can actually encourage healing and growth. Education on how we as humans can open that window to interacting with the dogs. How we can listen, and be bridges to healing. Our goal is to see the community working together to establish more teamwork and success across our city, county, and beyond. All the while never losing focus on the dogs themselves, providing above and beyond the standard in training and care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at emily@gatewaycanine.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Can my dog become a therapy dog?

While we know all pets are special and help us feel better at home, not every dog has what it takes to be a visiting therapy dog. Dogs must be over a year old. They must have their obedience down pretty well, with some superb manners. They must love working with you, and not be timid of new situations. They need to like all sorts of people, and can't be nervous about being touched by strangers. They have to be able to walk into a new environment without fear as well. Therapy work is A LOT of work for a team, and is much more than taking your dog out to have fun.

Can I take my dog into public places?

No. Therapy dogs are not the same as a Service Dog. Service dogs assist one individual mitigate a disability, whereas therapy dogs help many individuals in a time of need. Therapy dogs have no public access rights, and must be invited into the places they visit.

My dog is under a year old, can I start working with them now?

Absolutely! Now's the time to set them up for success in their future career! Focus on exposing them to all sorts of people, places, sites, sounds, and more! Start attending those group obedience, and trick classes now and your pet will be on track for success!

How can I help?

We are in the beginning stages of developing our therapy team. We will be on the hunt for the perfect individuals to help coordinate visits in our community, and to assist with new team members' first visits out in the community. We also will soon be looking for training equipment to expose the dogs to such as hospital beds, different types of wheelchairs, IV poles, sleep aids, and more. Our therapy team is not currently registered as a 501(c)3 so we currently can accept donations, but they are not a tax write off at this time.

Let's Get Started!

Therapy Team Group Class

Our 10 week group class covers skills specific to the therapy job itself. Navigating through medical equipment, appropriate ways to visit individual people, crisis preparedness, compassion fatigue, and more. This is an ongoing class that is constantly evolving based on the needs of our community. Dogs must be a year old, and have already completed a basic obedience class, and an intermediate group obedience class, and Gateway Canine's Entrance Test. Pets must also have current proof of Rabies, Distemper, and Bordetella vaccinations. No exceptions. Attending class does not guarantee a position in a therapy team with Gateway Canine, or in any other Therapy Organizations. Class is $250 total, not including any extra testing costs, or the cost of any equipment (such as vests, id-cards, etc).

Facility Dogs

Facility dogs are dogs that are specifically purchased and raised to assist the clientele in that facility. Common in court houses, churches, and more. This program is currently still in development with the options to purchase a fully trained facility dog, or to have members of your facility raise and train the dog themselves. Please email Emily@gatewaycanine.com for more information on facility dogs.

Volunteer

Help is always appreciated! We're currently on the hunt for people who have great communication skills, and some prior canine experience to help coordinate visits. There's also plenty of footwork jobs needing to be done.

Therapy Team Wishlist

To properly prepare dogs and handlers for real world events we need some not so common items to practice with. This is just a short list of ideas that we know will help.

Wheelchairs, regular and electric
Hospital Bed
IV poles with empty bags/cords
Canes, Walkers, Crutches
CPAP, or other common devices
Other medical equipment that might spook a dog, and or equipment that dogs would need to practice careful maneuvering around.

We also will need other items to help in our visits such as clean up supplies (bio/poop bags), screen printed backpacks, bandanas. Embroidery or patches for vest. And more!

Service Dogs

Service dogs, unlike therapy dogs are trained to help one specific disabled individual accomplish daily tasks they couldn't do without the dog. Gateway Canine is equipped to train dogs with tasks related to mobility aid, PTSD, Aspergers and more. Applicants for service dog training must provide Gateway Canine with a prescription from their current treating physician before we can start any service dog training program. We understand the privacy concerns this may cause but we are very avid fighters against those who fake needing a service dog just to be able to take their family pet out with them. This current trend puts real service dog teams at great risk, and is against the law. We have a lot of great programs we're working on in the near future! We'll be sharing more as it's ready and available.

Arrange a visit!

Our program will begin training in February of 2022, so most of our team members will be a few months out before they're ready to start. Their dogs will be trained on proper etiquette in different settings. Such as dogs that respond to quietly spoken commands as to not disturb residents or offices. Dogs that can navigate around medical equipment, tricky surfaces such as tornado damage, and more. Our dogs train to not jump on counters, furniture, displays, etc unless invited. Gateway Canine Therapy Team members are trained in thorough grooming, and strict clean up protocols, so no trace of them is left behind when their visits are complete. We work on proper greetings in all scenarios so our dogs are prepared to greet any human based on the human's abilities and comfort level. Our volunteers are also trained in compassion fatigue, dealing with difficult situations, and proper protocol for responding to upset, troubled, or disabled patients. All dogs in our program are required to complete yearly recertification and testing, along with updated vaccinations, visit logs, continuing education, and will be properly insured. Please feel free to email us at emily@gatewaycanine.com for more information on setting up a future visit.

Golden Retriever holding a Martial Arts Blue Belt in his mouth.

Leo visiting Missouri Martial Arts.