North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

Therapy Animal Services in Minnesota

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  • Who We Are
    • Therapy Animal Stars

      We are a group of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about therapy animal services and benefits they bring to individuals in our communities.

    • Who We Are

      • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • Our Services
      • Meet Our Stars
      • Facilities We Visit
  • Become a Team
    • Wanted! More Teams

      We are looking for more therapy animal teams to join us. If you are interested in forming wonderful friendships, making treasured memories & finding personal fulfillment then you are in the right place!

    • Become a Team

      • Getting Started
      • Membership
      • FAQ
  • Our Animals
    • Leaving Paw Prints

      A therapy animal is a specially trained animal that partners with its human handler to volunteer at a variety of facilities and events, bringing joy, comfort, and companionship to those they meet.

    • Our Animals

      • Meet Our Stars
      • What is a therapy animal?
      • Who Uses Therapy Animal Services?
      • FAQ
  • In the News
    • Therapy Animal Tales

      Read about the great work our teams are doing out in the field and stay up to date on what’s happening with the North Star Therapy Animals organization.

      Have a great story to share? Send us a note and let us know!

    • In the News

      • In the News
  • Request a Visit
    • We’d Love To Visit!

      Invite us over to bring happiness, companionship and courage to the people you work with.

    • Request a Visit

      • Request a Visit
      • Facilities We Visit
      • Our Services
  • Members
    • Membership Has Benefits

      Being a North Star Therapy Animal member has many benefits. You witness people make amazing transformations, your relationship with your animal grows and you also get to see what’s in this section!

    • Members

      • Member Login
  • Contact
    • Hello There!

      Want to learn more about North Star Therapy Animals? Fill out the contact form and we will get back to you.

    • Contact Us

      • Contact Form
      • Request a Visit
      • Become a Member
  • Crisis Response

FAQ

What is involved in becoming a therapy animal team?

There are three basic steps:

  1. Complete a local therapy animal training course.
  2. Complete the Pet Partners® registration process.
  3. Fill out the North Star Therapy Animals application.

Can only dogs be therapy animals?

No. Although dogs are the most common therapy animals, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, and birds can also be therapy animals.

Would my animal make a good therapy animal?

Meg-Razzel-Holly-Giaco-300x212The most important characteristic of a therapy animal is its temperament.  A good therapy animal must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. Therapy animals must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily.

Do only certain types of dogs make good therapy animals?

No. Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds.

Is a therapy dog the same thing as a service dog?

Pookha-and-Sonja-Case-at-Wayzata-Library-300x224No. Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas. A therapy dog’s primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an individual’s lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there. Many dogs contribute to the visiting experience by performing small tricks for their audience or by playing carefully structured games.

So, how do I get started?

There are three easy steps to joining us. Your first step is to complete a local therapy animal training course.  Although we don’t currently offer training classes, we can easily put you in touch with training facilities that do. We can also help you schedule an evaluation if you are at that point in your training. Whether you’re interested in becoming a team, volunteering as an individual, having a team visit your facility, or supporting us financially, we’d love to hear from you!

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

4 days ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
Five dogs and one cat joined us in June.Navy is a sweet, 4-year-old Mini Australian Shepherd. Remi, also 4, is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel,.Donald, the 3 –year-old orange Tabby Cat joins our Presidential members (Ford, Jimmy, Truman and Carter.)Radar, a Labrador Retriever is five. .Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Sven is four.. And Winston, a Golden Retriever is six. ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

2 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
Kallie, the Pet Partners therapy dog has quite a following! ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

2 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
It was hot out this weekend, but Scott/Jasper, Candi/Natasha, Angie/Archie, Mary/Maggie and Ian/Jett,(top row) Wayne/Greta, Cathy and Dave/Buddy, Sharon/Lola, Scott/Jasper, Jim/Dash and LeAnn/Lola (bottom row) made a difference @ #minnesotaspecialolympics Friday and Saturday.Special thanks to Kathi Eggert Huenemann for facilitating YAYABA by keeping everyone cool and comfortable ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

1 month ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
"It takes a village" or at least a "herd" of volunteers to evaluate several minis, a llama, 6 dogs and a cat at the Animal Humane Society on June 1st. Thanks to all for adding to our #petpartners teams! ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

1 month ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
While volunteering MSP Airport Airport today, Chekhov and I met the lead flight attendant from Sunday's Pigeon Plane!Rhonda and her pigeon crew expertly guided passengers through a chaotic departure experience that included two trips back to the gate. ... See MoreSee Less

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All North Star Therapy Animals are registered with Pet Partners.

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