Therapy Dogs United

Therapy Dogs United: Dogs Supporting People.

Therapy dogs certified with Therapy Dogs United help create positive change by offering comfort, support, and connection to individuals facing health challenges, disabilities, loneliness, injury, illness, or difficult life circumstances. We also boost workplace morale, bring joy to community events, and support youth learning. Our programs encourage conversation, learning, inclusion, and meaningful moments for everyone we serve.

Therapy Dogs United's dedicated team of certified therapy dog handlers are personally committed to bringing joy and inspiration to every human life we touch. It’s not just our personal commitment - it’s our mission. 

Your donation directly supports our programs, helps deploy therapy dogs where they are needed most in your community, and strengthens our volunteers through support, continuing education, and peer mentorship—ensuring our teams are prepared to serve our mission. Thank you!

Therapy Dogs United is a 501(c)(3) not for profit public charity operating solely on funding from corporate and private donations, fundraising events, charitable grants, therapy dog test fees and annual membership dues. We have never charged fees for our services. We do not receive payment for the therapy dog visits our volunteer handlers make.

We offer a variety of free programs including but limited to:

• Tutors with a Tail: Literacy and in-school reading program for schools, libraries and bookstores.
• M.D. Program (Medical Dogs): Visitation program to benefit patients and individuals recuperating during a hospital stay, or in waiting/emergency rooms. Our medical dogs also visit oncology patients, children’s hospitals, and VA medical centers.
• Workplace Wellness: Stress reducers for employees in high stress occupations, including hospitals, emergency rooms, fire stations, police barracks, 911 call centers, crisis centers and large workplaces.
• Courthouse Comfort Dogs: Certified therapy dog teams visit children facing a dependency hearing in Family Court; Veterans facing a hearing in Veteran’s Treatment Court, or individuals attending a hearing in a Court of Common Pleas.
• Senior Smiles: Therapy dogs offer a wide range of benefits to older adults, including facilitating therapeutic and/or emotional healing through our one-on-one or group therapy visits. 
• Cole’s Canines: Cole’s Canines represent a specialized group of certified therapy dogs trained to participate in a visitation program offering support to bereaved parents following the loss of pregnancy, infant or child.
• Companion Dogs: A companion therapy dog is a calm, well-behaved and obedient therapy dog used to help facilitate therapeutic or emotional healing. 
• Skilled Support Dogs: Highly trained and skilled, support dogs enhance the quality of life for children, adults and older adults with disabilities and/or special needs.
• AAT Dogs: The use of animal-assisted therapy dogs helps physically rehabilitate individuals, or anyone with a behavioral, emotional or cognitive diagnosis.
• Bella’s Brigade: The use of a certified therapy dog in a mental health hospital, group or individual therapy setting to help diagnose and heal clients with emotional and/or physical trauma.
• At-Risk Families: Our At-Risk Families (ARF Program) bring our skilled therapy dogs to homeless shelters, group homes and mental health residential treatment facilities to help families and children cope better during tough emotional times.
• Santa for a Senior: Therapy Dogs “paw deliver” practical holiday gifts to underserved older adults, nationwide.
• Dog Bite Prevention: Our PACKS Program (Prevent Attacks with Care, Kindness and Safety) is an educational program designed to teach and reinforce responsible pet ownership while stressing how to safely interact with a canine. Our PACKS Program is commonly taught in schools and libraries. TDU also offers an interactive dog bite prevention exhibit at the Erie Children’s Museum to expand outreach.