Check back soon for more therapy dog updates!

Thanks to all our therapy dog friends for

making this the best part of our profession. 

Contact Susan Jakobs (815-590-8008) if you are interested in learning more about how we evaluate and train dog/handler teams for advanced therapy dog work.  If you want to set up a premier program for your hospital, contact Patty Kaplan (see below).   

Why reinvent the wheel when you can hire us to create a JCAHO best practice program in your hospital?  To date we have trained over 140 teams that have performed over 90,000 visits with zero nosocomial  infections. 

History

In 2001, Midwest Canine Academy was contracted by Edward Hospital to create a training program for their new Animal Assisted Therapy Dog Program.  To date (see photos) we have evaluated, trained, and certified over 120 dogs for their program. 

Since 2002, we have trained over 180 dogs and people for therapy dog work.  We trained 10 dogs for use in very specific, therapeutic programs for the Child/Adolescent Units, S.A.F.E Alternatives (for treatment of individuals who self-injure), eating disorders and adult inpatient programs at Linden Oaks Hospital.  

Edward Hospital & Health Services is proud to be one of the largest animal-assisted therapy programs in the country.   Their program has been cited as "best practice" by Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO).  Visit www.edward.org. 

Patty Kaplan, the creator and director of the program, has built the largest and most prestigious program in the United States.  If you are interested in creating your own hospital program, visit www.paws4therapy.com.

The Sterling and Dixon area needs more dogs! 

Contact Sue Jakobs at 815-590-8008 or

by email at  s.jakobs@comcast.net

Therapy Dogs are not Service dogs.  Therapy dogs do NOT have the right to public access!   Only highly trained and certified SERVICE dogs have that right and those dogs carry proof of certification.