Therapeutic Programs
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Medical Centers
Rainbow teams visit dozens of hospitals and rehabilitation facilities where they work in nearly fifty different programs, including:
Some Rainbow hospital programs are geared towards visitation: comforting, helping to reduce pain or discomfort, humanizing the complexity of medical treatments, and increasing patient morale. Others are focused more on goal-directed interactions. |
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Schools and Libraries
Rainbow travels to local libraries. Dogs are non-judgmental, kind, and patient listeners while children are given unconditional respect and new confidence in their activities. Our teams visit a variety of schools and grade levels from early learning centers to high schools. Some programs are weekly therapy sessions especially with students with special needs. Dog Safety presentations are also available for all student levels. |
Specialized Programs
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Dog Apprehension Program
Our Dog Apprehension Program is geared to those children who have an excessive fear of dogs. The program allows the participants to develop skills and confidence in safe interactions with dogs and to learn techniques that enable children to overcome their fears and control the situation. Specialized training is required for all dogs and handlers including at least six months of experience working Rainbow programs. |
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Dog Safety Program
Dog bite injuries are among the leading cause of pediatric admissions to hospital emergency departments with half of all children being bitten by a dog by the time they are 12 years old. In an effort to help alleviate this problem, Rainbow has developed a Dog Safety Program aimed at the prevention of dog bites and increasing child safety in interactions with dogs. This program is usually conducted in classrooms or assemblies and targets the most vulnerable age group for dog bites: children between the ages of five and nine (grades K-4). Specialized training for handlers is required. Conducted by Rainbow’s dog safety experts, this program teaches children how to safely interact with dogs to avoid dog bites, how to read canine body language, and what techniques to use when faced with aggressive dog behavior. |
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Read to the Dog Program
Our Read to the Dog Program, in conjunction with libraries and schools, provides children the opportunity to read aloud to a willing, attentive, and non-judgmental therapy dog. There is no risk of being embarrassed when the child mispronounces a word, reads at a slow speed, or shows a lack of comprehension. The safe and supportive reading environment is one where children can read for the fun of it! |
Community Response Unit (CRU)
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Our Community Response Unit (CRU) meets the varied needs of the community, helps calm and support survivors during a crisis or disaster, and aids rescue workers, first responders, or volunteers during a trauma situation.
Composed of certified therapy dogs and their handlers, the CRU often responds to high-stress situations such as a shooting or other public emergencies. The dogs are trained to remain focused and to offer emotional support. The CRU partners with disaster, mental health, and emergency response agencies to provide emotional rescue, recovery, and ongoing support Contact with therapy dogs can affect the stress levels of the participants by lowering blood pressure, slowing heart rate, and reducing stress hormones. Rainbow’s Community Response therapy teams undergo extensive training including psychological first aid and the emotional effects of crisis, trauma, and disasters. |
