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Dogs Bringing Joy

Therapy Dogs Nationwide

Therapy Dogs Nationwide is a national charity where visiting volunteers take their own dogs into establishments to provide comfort, distraction, and stimulation. Our volunteers have the unique privilege of volunteering with their own temperament tested Therapy Dogs, some with over 10 years of experience and always focused on benefiting people in the community.

About Therapy Dogs Nationwide

Using animals especially Dogs as therapy is not a new idea, they have been used for over 40 years in experience in the care sector and a lot of our volunteers have roots with Lesley Scott-Ordish who was a pioneer in visiting with taking your own pet dog to nursing homes.

The benefits of Animal Assisted Therapies (AAT) have been extensively studied and results range from improvement in general health and wellbeing, increased confidence levels, improved and controlled movement to improved communication skills.

Volunteers and Therapy Dogs work with a wide group of people within the community. Our work in residential care homes had improved communication in residents and patients by evoking memories and stimulating conversation.

Our dogs have also shown to help with special needs and autistic children and adults by giving focus and providing a calming environment.

We regularly visit local hospitals and hospices where patients and staff interact with our dogs and look forward to their visits.

We are proud to be part of the Kennel Club Bark and Read Programme. We have many dogs that visit schools to help children develop their reading skills and build confidence.

Testimonials

Our testimonials reflect the heartwarming impact Therapy Dogs Nationwide has across the UK. From care home residents rediscovering their voices, to children finding confidence through reading with our dogs, the stories shared by families, professionals, and volunteers highlight the incredible difference our Therapy Dogs make every day.

Wellcome Trust

Therapy Dogs Nationwide joined Wellcome Trust at their offices in London on October 2018 for a popular and interactive staff and volunteer event to raise awareness of the wellbeing benefits of human-companion animal interactions. Wellcome is a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent that supports scientists and researchers, takes on big problems, fuels imaginations, and sparks debate. (…)

Anyone Active

We were only too pleased to work in partnership with Therapy Dogs Nationwide to support our client Everyone Active to deliver its “Stress Awareness Day” activity on November 7th. The Charity was wonderfully helpful and accommodating and the volunteers and their dogs were marvellous. You just sensed everyone is completely genuine, their commitment to their work is 100% and their (…)

Rolls Royce PLC

“Having the Therapy Dogs to visit was an amazing experience for the office! It provided a really unique and invaluable opportunity for everyone to talk about and reflect on their mental health in a friendly, relaxed environment. The dogs were so well-behaved and friendly and happy for a cuddle, and the volunteers were really accommodating and put everyone at ease. (…)

Happisburgh Primary School

Hobson has truly become part of our Happisburgh family, bringing joy and comfort to our children each week. As a Reading Dog, he provides a calm, non-judgmental space where children feel safe to read aloud, helping them overcome social and emotional barriers to learning. We have seen a remarkable difference in their confidence—reading with Hobson has encouraged expression, improved fluency, (…)

Mr B’s Emporium

I wanted to just say how thrilled we are with these monthly sessions. They have been a huge success and we are so grateful to Sally and Nessa for their time. We have hosted kids and adults with issues surrounding anxiety, ADHD, autism, hyperlexia, dog-phobia and many reluctant readers, as well as some who just love dogs and reading and (…)

Canwick Nursing Home

I just wanted to put in a letter of our gratitude for the work that one of your volunteers John Kania and Doodah Kipper does for our wonderful home here at Canwick court. I’ve seen residents smile and laugh who I’ve never see smile before, no matter what mood they’re in when john interacts with them. He’s incredibly kind and (…)

Volunteer

Do you want to make people smile? Would you like to help your community? Volunteering with Therapy Dogs Nationwide (TDN) is fun, rewarding, and makes a big difference. Whether you have a dog, no dog, or are still at school – there’s a way for you to get involved.

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Establishments

The concept of Therapy Dogs was originally devised by Lesley Scott-Ordish back in 1976 when she discovered the trauma experienced by the elderly if forced to give up a much-loved pet upon going into residential care. We now visit a vast range of establishments to include schools, care homes, coroners court, hospitals and dentists to name but a few.

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Partners

At Therapy Dogs Nationwide, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Bella & Duke, a leading raw pet food manufacturer. United by our shared values of dog welfare and education, this collaboration is designed to enrich the lives of therapy dogs and the communities they serve. We always welcome new opportunities to collaborate so if you have something in mind, please get in touch.

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Organisations we visit