Therapy Dogs in Schools: An Evidence-Based Protocol for Best Practice

by Jennie Dapice, Robin Peth-Pierce

Overview

Therapy Dogs in Schools: An Evidence-Based Protocol for Best Practice outlines the Professional Application of Therapy Dogs in Schools (PATS) protocol. The PATS protocol provides K–12 school professionals with a structured sequence for planning, implementing, and evaluating a school-based therapy dog program that ensures community safety, attends to animal welfare, and maximizes program impact. Therapy dog program goals include improved emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes and promoting a positive school culture. Leading researchers in the field of animal-assisted interventions and services cite the critical need for this type of protocol, especially as the number of dogs in schools has risen dramatically in the last decade.

The PATS protocol is the first evidence-based guide to provide administrators, staff, and therapy dog handlers with tools to plan, implement, and evaluate a school-based therapy dog program. Currently, there are no laws governing the incorporation of therapy dogs in schools. The PATS protocol has the potential to increase the professionalism of therapy dog program implementation by addressing school safety, ensuring canine welfare, and maximizing program outcomes. This book is for school professionals and volunteers alike, to identify how to maintain a therapy dog program and how to support the school community when it is time to retire a therapy dog.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626711556
Publisher:	Purdue University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2026
Series:	New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180

About the Author

Jennie Dapice, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, C-AAIS is a board-certified pediatric occupational therapist and an assistant professor of occupational therapy at the University of New England and the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Dapice has practiced and studied in the field of human-animal interactions since 2001. She serves on the Board of Directors of ElderPet, a PetPartners Community Organization, as a member of the Canine Companions Therapy Dog Council, and as a faculty fellow at the Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy.
Robin Peth-Pierce, MPA, C-AAIS, SW-T is the founder and CEO of Public Health Communications Consulting, LLC. Peth-Pierce has three decades of experience collaborating with researchers to translate scholarly findings into everyday practice. Through her decade-long experience as a 4-H volunteer, she trained youth in companion animal visitation principles, certified visiting animal teams for assisted-living centers, and taught livestock and agricultural principles. Her career began as a presidential management fellow at the National Institutes of Health, where she was trained in all aspects of the biomedical research process.

Editorial Reviews

"I wish I had a copy of Therapy Dogs in Schools: An Evidence-Based Protocol for Best Practice when my district risk management reached out and said they were shutting down the therapy dog program at my school. I spent a few frantic days consolidating my best practices, examples, protocols, and experiences—when I could have used this book as a model. It has a comprehensive section on risk management and animal welfare that has answers, research, and examples to all the questions and concerns that school administrators present to individuals interested in building safe, ethical, and effective therapy dog programming in their school or district. —Jennifer VonLintel, adjunct faculty, Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver

"If you are an educator interested in incorporating dogs into your teaching curriculum, this book is a must-have. It is extremely thorough, covering topics often overlooked, such as risk assessment, and providing specific and detailed examples that will cut your preparation time considerably." —Nancy Gee, professor of psychiatry, Bill Balaban Chair in Human-Animal Interaction, and director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction, Virginia Commonwealth University

From the Publisher