Good morning,

Has anyone ever experienced a therapy dog biting someone while the dog was actively serving in a volunteer role? If so, how was the situation handled? Was the dog immediately removed from service?

Thanks, in advance,

Hi Jill,

We have not had a dog bite anyone but we have had a dog that snapped at a patient and the owner of the dog immediately retired him. It's been about a year since that happened and we recently heard that the dog passed away from cancer. 

We recently had a dog that barked at another dog and the bark was really loud and it occurred in Children's Hospital. This incident was reported to ATD and the dog is being retested. If they do not pass the test then the dog will lose it's certification. 

The ATD handbook says that a dog that bites has to immediately be removed and reported to ATD within 24 hours. The dog must not participate in any pet therapy activity until the bite incident is investigated by ATD. The member must notify the ATD Office if a dog has been deemed dangerous, aggressive, or is given a similar designation as defined by local laws as a result of an incident and documentation verifies it. The certified dog's membership will then be terminated.

I suggest that you ask the organizations the certify your therapy dogs for a copy of their handbook. It is very helpful. I hope everything works out for you. Nancy

Hi Julie,

 Thanks for the response. I think we all struggle with the impact of personal pets in the facility. I haven't been able to implement something similar, but found a flyer I really liked from another facility - see attached. 
Thanks, 

Hi Julie,

We have the same issues with the front desk staff just permitting any dogs to come in because of the same reason. I was told that it is legal to ask the two questions that are contained on the flyer provided, but to my knowledge, these questions are not asked. I really appreciate this flyer being shared. I think it is an awesome thing to have and plan to look into our hospital developing a similar thing.