Find What You Need
Common questions about Pet Assisted Therapy, credentialing, requesting a team, and supporting Windwalker’s mission.
● Once You Have Completed Your Coursework
What You Need to Submit to Become Credentialed Needs to Include
APPLICATION
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE
Code of Ethics
Written by founder Pearl Salotto and embraced by the coalition. Every credentialed facilitator commits to them.
AS GUARDIANS
The pet’s spontaneity, enthusiasm, and eagerness to interact, along with their interests and personality, guide our work at all times.
The pet needs the confidence to feel comfortable and eager in new environments as well as familiar ones.
As Facilitators
Work with the agency liaison on referrals, consents, goal setting, documentation, public relations protocol, and confidentiality.
Be a role model at home and in the community for the respect of all living things, and advocate for the profession locally and nationally.
Understand and communicate that this work benefits our pets as well as people, and remain an active member of the coalition.
Educate others about the link of abuse, and about the rights and feelings of all living things.
Allow ourselves to experience the joy this work brings, alongside its responsibility.
The Language We Use
The words reflect a relationship, not ownership.
companion dog → family therapy pet
owner → guardian
certifying → credentialing
visitation → treatment
training → experiences
use pets → work with pets
GUIDANCE FOR TEAMS
Best Practices
Four expectations of every Windwalker team, in every setting.
Watch Your Pet
Notice whether your pet is enjoying the work, and stop services if they are not.
Carry Insurance
Hold appropriate liability insurance for the work you are doing.
Know the Facility
Understand and follow the rules of every facility where you work.
Respect Other Teams
Seek agreement before working in a facility another professional team already serves.
EQUIPMENT STANDARDS
Windwalker sets clear rules on collars, leashes, and harnesses, because anything that works by causing discomfort has no place in this profession. The full acceptable and prohibited lists live with the credentialing requirements.
SUPPORT
Loss of a Pet
Losing a family pet can be one of the most difficult experiences we go through. Windwalker guardians know this as well as anyone, and so do the families our teams visit.
This is a partial list. Many other pet loss support resources exist, and a search for “pet loss support” will surface more.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Answers Before You Ask
The questions we hear most from people thinking about credentialing, and from organizations considering a therapy team.
Almost any family pet with a good temperament, in good health, that genuinely likes interacting with people and strangers has the potential to be a therapy pet.
Any breed or mixed breed that is well balanced, a beloved family pet, has a wonderful temperament, and is healthy enough for the work. We do not discriminate by breed.
Several cats, a few rabbits, a duck, and even a miniature horse.
It depends on the individual dog, but our rule of thumb is one year old.
Yes. Every pet must pass a basic temperament evaluation performed by the instructors before Course II.
Almost anywhere there is a need. Hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice. Social services and mental health settings. Physical and occupational rehabilitation. Libraries, reading programs, schools, church programs, youth camps, and home visits. Therapy pets also appear in situations offering relief from stress or grief.
Additionally, opportunities are presented through Windwalker. When pet therapy is requested through the Windwalker website, the outreach team will send an email and Facebook notification to all credentialed team members to notify them of the opportunity. When organizations request Windwalker through the website, Windwalker insurance will cover that work.
A service dog is highly trained to meet the needs of one person with one or more disabilities, usually through an organization specializing in that training, and typically does not interact with others while working. A therapy dog is a well balanced family pet with a temperament that loves working with many people in many environments. A service dog can become a therapy dog under certain conditions, but a credentialed therapy dog cannot necessarily become a service dog.
Windwalker uses credentialing, and ongoing recredentialing, to describe how our teams are prepared and approved. The language reflects a professional standard that is maintained over time rather than granted once.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Whether you are bringing a pet into the profession or bringing a team into your community, this is where it starts.