Therapy Dogs of Vermont (TDV) is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization of highly-trained dogs and their handlers. Our handler/canine teams work on the emotional health of hospital patients, students in educational institutions, and residents of nursing/retirement homes and correctional facilities.
TDV is always looking for new volunteers to join our teams for regularly scheduled visits. By having a broad membership base, TDV is able to provide various benefits to patients and residents based on their needs and desires. Therapy Dogs come in all sizes; they are old, young, purebred and mixed. Some wear costumes, some do tricks, some just sit for petting, and others give enthusiastic kisses. Along with their handlers, they bring smiles to the elderly, they chase away tears of the toddler, and they bring a sense of the outside world into often sterile and cold institutions.

TDV has a large membership throughout the state of Vermont and in some areas of New Hampshire. We have also helped similar organizations start up in other states and countries. All dogs are certified which provides insurance, a bandanna, and identification tags. The intent of TDV is to keep members organized, motivated, and volunteering. We place people in teams, arrange regular TDV visits to new institutions, organize get-togethers, and share information and stories by publishing a quarterly newsletter.
Our dogs walk the floors of many of the hospitals in Vermont as well as countless nursing and retirement homes. Our activities have often been documented in the media and our dog's faces are often the best known in a hospital. Our accomplishments are so appreciated that TDV members are thought of as privileged members of the medical team.
Our members also visit day care centers, scout meetings, schools, and universities to bring youngsters in touch with good dogs and to show them what can be accomplished with love and training. TDV also supports other worthy organizations through booth displays which also function to increase public awareness of the benefits of our activities.