What is The Companion Animal Program, Inc.? (CAP)
CAP is an all-volunteer organization of pet owners who, with their pets, have been trained and certified as Therapy Teams to visit care and assisted living facilities; the college; hospitals; libraries; schools; and community programs and events on Cape Cod from Bourne to Provincetown. CAP is a 501(c)3, non-profit, self-sustaining organization.
Why are CAP visitations welcomed by so many facilities?
Most people love animals and many of those we visit in care and assisted living facilities have had to give up their own pets. CAP Therapy Teams bring comfort and cheer for the people we visit. Those who are visited regularly often get to know our pets by name and look forward to the teams coming each month. Many people respond to animals when they are unable to respond to other people. It has also been shown that pet assisted therapy helps with depression, cognitive disorders, anxiety, and lowers blood pressure.
How can an organization become eligible for CAP visits?
If you are interested in applying for visitation by CAP Therapy Teams, click here to complete the Adult Visitation Request form, or click here for the Children and Adult Specialty Visits form, depending on the needs of the residents or participants at your facility or program. Read more about these options on the Adult Visits page and the Children and Adult Specialty Visits page of this website. After receiving the completed form, we will put your organization on our waiting list and make every effort to accommodate your request as soon as possible. When visiting teams are available, we will contact your Activities Director or other person of your choice and meet with them to determine the visiting requirements of your site or program. We provide monthly one-hour visits throughout the calendar year. For more information contact CAP Board President, Mary Wills.
What do we ask in return from the facilities we visit?
CAP charges no fees, but we ask for publicity when and wherever possible via the facility’s or program’s newsletter, website, etc. We also request exclusive pet visits during the scheduled hour that we come and welcome contributions to help with our expenses, which include the cost of multiple insurance policies for both members and visitation sites.
How often are the visits conducted?
The visits are typically scheduled monthly. Therapy Teams, consisting of certified members and their dogs, visit for about an hour. Some Therapy Teams visit one site, while others visit multiple sites each month. The visits are sometimes conducted in a common area at the facility, or one on one in the client’s rooms.
What characteristics are most desirable in a pet?
CAP currently has dogs of many breeds, mixtures, and sizes. Well-behaved, socialized dogs who enjoy being petted, snuggling, or maybe have a trick or two are wonderful visitors. Clients love a small dog that will sit in their lap or a larger dog who puts its chin on the person’s knee and wags its tail hoping for a pat. All pets must have earned AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification as a prerequisite to enrolling in the CAP training course. Teams in training must pass their evaluations and be deemed appropriate to serve
as therapeutic companions.
What would I have to do to qualify as a Therapy Team?
All people representing CAP in any official CAP activity must be a member of CAP and pay yearly membership dues. All pets representing CAP must be a member of a certified CAP Therapy Team. Prospective Therapy Teams must first obtain the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate and possess basic obedience skills prior to enrolling in the CAP Therapy Training Course. Many dog training locations on the Cape offer the AKC CGC six-week course/test, and it’s a wonderful way to bond with your dog and teach good obedience skills. Dogs must be at least one year old to take the AKC CGC class/test. After successfully attaining the AKC CGC certificate, teams can attend The CAP Training Program, which is a series of 6 classes designed to prepare the dog and handler for our dog therapy evaluation and orientation at a CAP visitation site. The cost of this course is $185. Please see CAP’s Training page for more detailed information and to apply for a class. About 60% of the teams who complete the CAP training class go on to be certified therapy teams. We encourage those who don’t pass the first time to repeat classes and test again free of charge.
Why all these tests?
The safety of our clients, members and pets is foremost. The testing measures the team’s response to the unexpected – a hug, a pulled ear or tail, unconventional petting, reactions to medical equipment, and medical environments. Our evaluation also assesses the safety, reliability, and obedience of the animal. Visiting clients with an animal is a serious responsibility. It is CAP’s intent to ensure that our volunteer Therapy Teams are well suited for visits and are comfortable in the environments that we serve. See the Training section of this website for more information on training, testing and evaluations.
Can you do a presentation for our club?
Yes. CAP will provide a speaker, and therapy animals to educate your group about our program and its activities. Email info@CompanionAnimalProgram.com to request a presentation and meet our CAP therapy teams.
Are CAP certified animals Service Animals?
No. A Service Animal is specially trained to perform specific tasks to help its owner who has a disability or other health issues. In contrast, therapy animals work as a team with their owners to improve the lives of others in settings such as: libraries, schools, hospitals, care and assisted living facilities, and other community programs.
Do I get to use my CAP certified animal to fly or go into restaurants?
No. It is illegal and unethical. Only certified service animals are so privileged. There are no special rewards afforded to therapy animals, other than the gift of helping others.