How to Get a Therapy Dog
The Stokeshire process, step by step, from application to a certified therapy team. For families, educators, counselors, and clinicians in Wisconsin, Chicago, and the Twin Cities.
You apply, reserve a puppy, and we evaluate the litter for therapy temperament before Match Day. Your puppy can begin with Doodle School™ or Bootcamp™, then your family leads training at home toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen. After your dog turns one, you and your dog test together with a therapy dog program. Certification is granted by that program, not by Stokeshire.
We prepare the dog.
The program certifies the team.
A therapy dog is certified as a team with its handler. Programs such as Alliance of Therapy Dogs, Pet Partners, and Therapy Dogs International evaluate the handler and the dog together, so the person who will take the dog on visits is the person who tests with the dog.
Stokeshire's role comes before that test: breeding for temperament, evaluating each litter, matching a puppy toward the role you describe, and building the foundation through therapy-informed training. We can match toward a role. We cannot promise an outcome.
Therapy dog
Visits schools, clinics, hospitals, and care communities to comfort many people. Registered through a therapy dog program. No public access rights under the ADA.
Service dog
Trained to perform specific tasks for one person with a disability, with public access rights under the ADA. A different path from the one on this page. See therapy dog vs. service dog.
Eight steps from application
to certified team.
Every Stokeshire family follows the same path. Therapy families note their goal at the start, so each step is aimed at the role the dog will serve.
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Any time
Apply and name the role
Complete the puppy application and describe the setting you have in mind: a classroom, counseling office, hospital, care community, or your own family. This is how we match toward the role.
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After approval
Reserve with a deposit
A reservation deposit secures your waitlist position, ordered by deposit date and location, and applies toward the final balance. Each litter requires its own deposit. Current amount and refund terms are on Pricing and in the Reservation, Refund & Return Policy.
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Recommended
Add Pick of the Litter
Pick of the Litter is recommended for therapy families, not required. It grants one of only two priority selection positions per litter, including a scheduled nursery visit on Match Day. The current fee is on each litter's listing, and the terms are in the Reservation, Refund & Return Policy.
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About 7 weeks
Temperament evaluation and Match Day
Each puppy is evaluated with the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test, read alongside everything we have observed since birth. Results are shared at Match Day. See puppy testing and how we read scores for therapy prospects.
If no puppy in your litter fits the role, your reservation rolls over to the next list, the same as for every family.
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8 to 12 weeks
Doodle School™ or Bootcamp™
Professional immersion in a trainer's home before go-home: the 4-Week Doodle School™ or a shorter Bootcamp™ stay. Both are optional. Current rates are on Pricing. Trupanion insurance must be active before training begins.
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Go-home
Bring your puppy home
Activate Trupanion within 24 hours of pickup if it is not already active, and complete a veterinary exam within 7 days. Families outside Wisconsin may need an additional health certificate for travel. Options and fees are on Transport & Delivery.
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12 weeks to 1 year
Build the foundation at home
Your family leads the work with trainer support, and AKC Canine Good Citizen preparation can begin. A Stay and Train Refresher or private lessons are available if you want professional help along the way.
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1 year and beyond
Test and register as a team
Choose a therapy dog program and test with your dog. Most programs set a minimum age of one year. Alliance of Therapy Dogs, for example, pairs a handling test with three observed visits. Certification is granted by the program, not by Stokeshire.
Every layer of coverage,
and who carries it.
Families often assume one policy covers everything. It does not. Health insurance, liability coverage, and your workplace's rules are separate, and a therapy team needs all three settled before the first visit.
Pet health insurance
Trupanion insurance is a required condition of placement for every Stokeshire puppy. Your family activates it using the code in your take-home packet, and pays for it after the introductory period. If your puppy is enrolled in Doodle School™ or Bootcamp™, Trupanion must be active before that program begins.
Veterinary costs are the family's from placement forward, including care your puppy needs while in Doodle School™ or Bootcamp™. Compare plans in Figo vs. Trupanion.
Liability coverage
Health insurance pays for your dog's veterinary care. Liability coverage addresses claims if someone is injured or property is damaged during a visit. Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Pet Partners state that liability coverage is included for registered teams.
Limits and terms vary by program, including whether coverage applies when you are paid for the work. Confirm the details in writing before your first visit.
School, clinic, or facility rules
Schools, clinics, and care communities generally set their own requirements for animals on site. Ask your administration or risk management office whether the dog needs approval, which certifications they accept, whether the facility's own policy must also apply, and which health records they require.
For grants, see funding for classroom and clinic therapy dogs.
The health guarantee
The Stokeshire 3-Year Health and Wellness Partnership covers serious, inherited, debilitating genetic conditions confirmed non-correctable by licensed veterinary diagnosis. Injury is not covered, whether it happens at home or during therapy visits.
Full terms are in the Health Guarantee.
Guardian dogs can do
therapy work, too.
A dog living with a Stokeshire guardian home can be a therapy dog. Ideally, guardian families work toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen, the same foundation every therapy team builds on.
What the path costs.
Current Stokeshire rates are linked below. Therapy dog program registration fees are set by each program and paid to them directly.
| Puppy placement | Each puppy is priced individually by breed, size, coat, and color. See current Pricing. |
|---|---|
| Reservation deposit | Applied toward the final balance. Current amount and refund terms are on Pricing and in the Reservation, Refund & Return Policy. |
| Pick of the Litter (recommended) | Optional priority selection. The current fee is on each litter's listing, and the terms are in the Reservation, Refund & Return Policy. |
| Doodle School™ or Bootcamp™ | Optional. Current rates are on Pricing. |
| Travel-Ready Health Certificate Package | May be needed when a go-home crosses state lines. Current fee is on Transport & Delivery. |
| Delivery | Ground transport or flight nanny, quoted by route. Options and starting prices are on Transport & Delivery. |
| Pet health insurance | Trupanion, required, paid by the family |
Placement support is available for qualifying therapy and community-partnership families, and puppy pricing lists the discounts for service members, first responders, and educators. See scholarships.
Serving Wisconsin, Chicago,
and the Twin Cities.
Stokeshire is based in Medford, in north-central Wisconsin. Therapy dog programs register teams nationally, so you test with a local evaluator wherever you live.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin families can pick up in person at our Medford home base, or choose private ground delivery to Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and the rest of the state.
Milwaukee · Madison · Wisconsin Bernedoodles · Wisconsin Australian Mountain Doodles
Chicago and Illinois
Chicago is within our private ground delivery range from Medford. A meeting at Chicago O'Hare is arranged as ground transport. Illinois go-homes may require an additional health certificate.
Minneapolis and St. Paul
Twin Cities families can choose private ground delivery from Medford or a handoff at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport for a fee. Minnesota go-homes may require an additional health certificate.
Therapy dog process questions.
Does Stokeshire certify therapy dogs?
No. Certification is granted by therapy dog programs such as Alliance of Therapy Dogs, Pet Partners, and Therapy Dogs International, which evaluate the handler and dog together. Stokeshire breeds for temperament, evaluates each litter, matches toward the role, and builds the foundation through training.
How long does it take to get a certified therapy dog?
Plan on more than a year. Waitlist time depends on the litter you reserve, puppies go home at about 8 weeks or after Doodle School™, and most therapy dog programs require the dog to be at least one year old before testing.
Is Pick of the Litter required for a therapy puppy?
No. Pick of the Litter is recommended for therapy families, not required. It gives you one of the two priority selection positions in a litter, which widens your choice among the puppies whose temperament fits the role.
What if no puppy in my litter is a good fit for therapy work?
Your reservation rolls over to the next list, the same as for every family. We would rather wait for the right puppy than place one into a role that does not suit it.
Who pays for insurance and veterinary care?
The family. Trupanion insurance is a required condition of placement, activated by the family, and veterinary costs are the family's from placement forward, including care needed during Doodle School™ or Bootcamp™. Liability coverage for therapy visits comes through your therapy dog program.
Can a guardian dog become a therapy dog?
Yes. A guardian dog can be a therapy dog, and ideally the guardian family works toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen.
Do you place therapy dogs in Chicago and Minneapolis?
Yes. Chicago and the Twin Cities are within our private ground delivery range from Medford, Wisconsin, and Twin Cities families can also choose an airport handoff at Minneapolis–St. Paul International for a fee. You then test with a local evaluator through your therapy dog program.
Is a therapy dog the same as a service dog?
No. A therapy dog comforts many people in facilities and has no public access rights under the ADA. A service dog is trained to perform specific tasks for one person with a disability and has public access rights.
Start with the application.
Tell us the setting your dog will serve. We will match toward it from the first litter you reserve.