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K9 Ambassadors
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Course Description
  • Teaching Schedule
  • Faculty
  • Careers
  • Collaborators
  • Contact
  • Surveys
  • Subscribe

Compassionate, Dog Lovers

New 2-hour, ONLINE Class: How to Certify Your Pet as a Therapy Dog

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Trade Show Exhibitors

Significantly Increase Attendees Visiting Your Trade Show Booth

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Community Colleges

Offer Our Online Classes and Attract New Students

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Pet Service Providers

Partner with Us and
Gain More Clients

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K9 News

How to Find, Train, and Certify a Qualified Animal-Assistance Dog

June 8, 2021 Written by K9 Ambassadors

This summary, 2-hour class introduces you to the least cost and most expedient way to choose the right dog for your specific physical and emotional needs and circumstance. The class also covers resources available to train your pet for a particular purpose, such as providing therapy dog services to the public. Class features: Live, Virtual…

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Pet-Related Funding Opportunities

June 8, 2021 Written by Contributor

By Steven Feldman, CEO, HABRI

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) has now opened applications for the FY 2021 Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program. This grant program will support the expansion of shelter and housing assistance for survivors of domestic violence with companion animals. Please share…

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Using Dogs to Detect COVID-19

June 8, 2021 Written by Contributor

Investigating whether dogs could be trained to identify unique odours associated with coronavirus infection The ARCTEC team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Medical Detection Dogs and Durham University ran a study training dogs to identify unique odours associated with coronavirus infection.

Visit Study Website


Dogs Don’t Like Passive or Unresponsive Human Faces

June 8, 2021 Written by Contributor

By Stanley Coren, PhD, DSc, FRSC, Canine Corner, Psychology Today

Dogs need a stream of active facial expressions to keep them focused on a person According to some new research, your face may be the key to building a better bond with your dog. When we are trying to communicate with someone, the human face undergoes a number of …

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Our Founding Therapy Dog, Rudy

April 29, 2021 Written by K9 Ambassadors

July 2006- October 2019 This text has been revised from the original text. Rudy’s contribution to the animal-assisted therapy industry will last forever.  Rudy motivated us to establish our nonprofit organization, K9 Ambassadors, with his uncanny ability to consistently put a smile on people’s faces and bring them joyfully into the “here and now.” Rudy …

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How to Find and Select a Dog that Matches Your Needs

July 7, 2021 Written by Contributor

The following slides are taken from our two-hour course,  How to Certify Your Pet as a Therapy Dog.

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Browse more K9 News.

Welcome to K9 Ambassadors

Therapy dogs are pets, owned by you, the "handler." They are trained to provide service to a wide variety of facilities and people, including hotels, schools, courts, airports, worksites, natural and human-made disasters, to name a few.

In contrast, service dogs are trained to provide service to one person. Therefore, we focus on therapy dogs, although we also provide education and consultation on helping people select and find "assistance dogs'' where a disability (emotional or physical) is involved.

So, what makes your furry, four-legged household friend a potential therapy dog? Here are some of the most important criteria:

  • Any breed can qualify, one year old or more, although certain breeds are restricted in hospitals and other facilities where breed stigma is an issue.
  • The right temperament, void of any aggression.
  • A love of people and a desire to be with strangers.
  • A lack of interest in other dogs.
  • Controlled behavior at all times.
  • Knowledge of basic commands.
  • You make a good team. The handler has good interpersonal skills to provide services to the community with time and compassion.
  • The ability to pass behavioral and written evaluations.

Do you feel this might be of interest? I encourage you to explore our site, learn what it takes to register your pet as a therapy dog and sign up for one of our virtual community college classes. Please see our Teaching Schedule.

If you represent a private organization, I also encourage you to learn about our Commercial Therapy Dog Services that bring joy and comfort to employees and customers.

Richard Katz, Founder, K9Ambassadors.org and Chief Therapy Dog Handler

Recent Posts

  • How to Find and Select a Dog that Matches Your Needs
  • How to Find, Train, and Certify a Qualified Animal-Assistance Dog
  • Pet-Related Funding Opportunities
  • Using Dogs to Detect COVID-19
  • Dogs Don’t Like Passive or Unresponsive Human Faces
  • Our Founding Therapy Dog, Rudy
  • How Americans Memorialize Their Dogs
  • Dog Breeds Usually Banned by Home Insurance Companies
  • Is It Possible for a Dog to Actually Experience Jealousy?
  • Can Remote Therapy Dog Sessions Reduce Stress?

Copyright 2014-2021, Lift My Spirits, Inc., a Not-for-Profit, California Corporation, DBA K9 Ambassadors  •  All Rights Reserved • katzr@hrms.net
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