Therapy Dogs International, Inc.

I am the supreme optimist. But even I cannot find much positive to say about Therapy Dogs International. In short, it is the very worst service organization I have ever encountered. In my two years of membership, they have yet to EVER return a single call.
They have any number of not-so-effective policies. One of which is to have everyone's membership run from January 1 - December 30 of each year. They were impervious to the idea of having a rolling membership so that you could join whenever you passed the review and it would roll forward for 12 months. That would also help them PROCESS the registrations each year. Instead of doing all of them once a year, they could do some each week of the year and spread the workload out. So, here I am going into year three, waiting on January 10 for the membership card for 1/1/19. I called a week ago. The usual lack of any response to my call. I had also written. The "receipt" they sent for my 2019 membership didn't have an effective date of 1/1/19 on it. I had suggested that if they would add this to that form, we would have proof of membership. They took the time to write back that this was just a receipt. Still waiting. Three emails and two calls later, we are just about half way thru the month and I have no updated registration for my therapy dog. I start my new permanent volunteer assignment in a hospital on Tuesday and asked them to make sure to mail it right out to me. Yeah, sure...like that's going to happen. I wrote to remind them that this is what I get for my $30...that membership. And that having it mailed to me by the first of the year is their basic function as it relates to me. Didn't move them. These folks are the worst.

Summary: TDI was unresponsive and dishonest; do not recommend.

Details: I had asked TDI to help look for a dog to visit my grandmother, who adopted many dogs during her life but is now unable to leave the house much after a debilitating stroke. After some initial communication, TDI did not respond to any of my last phone calls or 7 emails to them over the last 1.5 years.

I had to contact a local chapter director to finally receive a response from TDI. The chapter director informed me that TDI claimed I never contacted them since October 2016, which is false. TDI even forwarded an incomplete set of emails to support their false claim. I thus provided the full set of emails for TDI to review. The chapter director attempted to help by inquiring with the TDI president; however, the president repeated the false claim, saying "We have no record of the so called sent emails to TDI." She then dismissed me by saying "Enough said about this. This will be the end of this subject."

The lack of response and repeated false claims all the way to the top leadership at TDI is unprofessional behavior by this nonprofit. I recommend that if a loved one needs visits, if you're a dog owner looking to volunteer, if you're looking to donate money or time, if you're a healthcare professional helping patients, look elsewhere for an honest and responsive organization.

Review: Upon Therapy Dog International (TDI) testing with an accredited TDI evaluator and SUCCESSFULLY PASSING the examination in order for my dog to become a therapy dog, I proceeded to obtain a REQUIRED Veterinarian exam, blood tests, stool tests and immunizations. My dog had been "tested" once before with one recommendation made by the (a different) TDI evaluator. AT NO TIME WAS I EVER VERBALLY OR IN WRITING TOLD THAT MY DOG COULD NOT OR NEVER WOULD BE ABLE TO EVER BECOME A THERAPY DOG BY THIS EVALUATOR. The second TDI tester did reconfirm that my dog did in fact pass the test and she sent in the associated PASSING paperwork.

Besides the additional costs involved with the above, I had to take time off work, travel an hour out of the area in order to be tested and assured the hospital that I had volunteered with for a decade with a previous dog, that I would be returning.

I requested via a letter that TDI reconsider but was again denied despite my passing the test, completing all medical care etc. The first tester had recommended that I request that my case be reconsidered because I had only had the new rescue dog for 4 weeks. The first tester had been so abrupt the minute my dog and I had stepped on to the sidewalk and that I even jumped back by her actions! In addition, prior to the first "test" I had asked if the tester could provide me with information as to whether my dog had the abilities required to be a Therapy dog and I was NEVER INFORMED THAT SHE WOULD NOT EVENTUALLY PASS THE EXAM. The TDI website DOES NOT TELL PROSPECTIVE DOG HANDLERS THAT IF THEY DO NOT PASS (MISSED ONE ITEM) ON A PREVIOUS TESTING THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE RETESTED, NOT PERFORM THE REQUIRED EXAMS, BLOOD AND STOOL TESTS, AND IMMUNIZATIONS AND THAT THEY WILL NOT EVER BE ABLE TO BE CERTIFIED BY TDI. I have been told by one of the testers that this has happened to several other dog handlers resulting in both financial expenses (approximately $145.00), not counting time away from work etc.Desired Settlement: I do not believe that this or any organization should pull the rug out when a dog SUCCESSFULLY PASSES the TDI test with an accredited tester. There is no mechanism in place to assure the dog team and handler that they will be performing all of the above actions in vain. There is no reason why a dog should not be given a second chance. There is no reason that a TDI Membership Committee Task Force be an invisible group that makes decisions without any consideration to the above. I have been a TDI member with another dog for over a decade, I find it UNCONSCIONABLE that they would not reconsider based upon a clear and accurate explanation. The fact that they have done the exact same thing with a number of other dog handlers and that they feel that it is acceptable to OVERRIDE a passing grade based upon a previous testing. Young dogs (mine is two years old) can learn new tricks! As a college educator I would never over ride another faculty's grade. VERY BAD BUSINESS AND UNKIND!

Review: Therapy Dogs International will herein be referred to as TDI. After testing and passing the certification process to conduct volunteer work with my dog, I submitted my application and a check in the amount of $45.00 at the end of April, 2015 to TDI. I was informed at the beginning of May that my application was sent to a review board and that I would be notified within 2 weeks if my application would be accepted or denied. It took 4 1/2 weeks to notify me of passing. The check was then cashed by TDI and their brochure, along with their therapy dog tag and bandana was mailed.. Not until receipt of the brochure was there disclosure that TDI requires an additional test that must be completed before starting any visits. The answers to this test are revealed through the viewing of a dvd that was to be included in the initial packet. There was no dvd in the packet but a note stating it's on backorder. It wasn't until an inadvertent email sent by TDI inquiring as to status of my test that it was disclosed TDI will not cover me for insurance until they are in receipt of this test. It has now been 6 weeks since receipt of the initial packet and I have yet to receive this dvd in order to take the test in order for me to be covered by TDI's insurance. Delay after delay by TDI has allowed them to cash the $45.00 check, utilize that money, NOT deliver the materials I paid for and NOT cover me under their insurance that I have paid for, too! On July 10, 2015, I emailed a request for refund on membership fees. On July 14, 2015, I sent their original packet back certified mail, signature required.Desired Settlement: It is fundamentally wrong of TDI to cash checks and not make good on delivery of materials. TDI does not disclose a secondary test requirement and most certainly does not disclose the lack of insurance coverage until such test is taken and reviewed by TDI which I can only assume would take another 6 weeks to review! The lack of disclosures is a lack of integrity. The lack of integrity is compounded by their lack of respect towards members who are VOLUNTEERS. There have been no apologies for the excessive delays. TDI has not once made an independent phone call to inform me as to the status of this dvd that has yet to be delivered. A refund is the only right thing to do.