Therapy Dogs International - Flanders, New Jersey

Gabi R

I was with TDI many years ago with my therapy dog. They were great. Offered liability! But what happened? They dropped their liability insurance, and I found this out after going through the whole process and getting my dog certified. What a waste of time.

Tammy Adkins

I sent 13 emails and multiple phone calls asking for a refund and never got it after many months. They are not accessible or helpful one bit. A total money grab which is not the way this should be at all.

Jan Smith

I volunteered at a large disaster event. I brought my two certified Labs. Ursula pulled just me and my 95 lb Black Lab out of the group and told me to hold him in a sit. She walked ~20 ft away, turned, and then purposely charged into him. He stood up, and looked at me like “what just happened!?” We were then “allowed” to return to the group.
The next day a small group went on a bus to the disaster area. She told them to walk single file down the street and not break rank. Children approached some of the dogs. A few dogs and owners stopped so the children could pet them. She stripped the dogs and owners of their certification when they returned and disembarked from bus - for not following her orders.
She asked if I tested both of my dogs together. I truthfully said no. I had just moved to a new state and had no one to watch one of my dogs. She told me I had to place one dog in a kennel - outdoors in the excessive heat - or leave. One of her assistants spoke up and said both were fine the previous day, why not let us participate? She chastised him in front of the group. I had no way back to my car so chose to sit with my dogs in a lobby, not allowed to participate with the group, and I removed myself and my dogs permanently from the program.
I was a member for years. The concept is amazing. The leadership is deplorable.

Susan Kent

If I could give no stars I would. I have been waiting for my credentials for four months after my dog passed the test. They cashed my check, but they say they had trouble with their database and that they were working on getting things back on track. Check cashed in September 2023. After many emails and attempted phone calls where I couldn’t leave a message because there wasn’t any voicemail, I finally got a response via email. It didn’t contain much info, just they had a problem with their database.. And that was AFTER I contacted the tester and asked for assistance. I was told I would receive it in 2024. Well, 2024 is here and still no paperwork, no response to my email and I can’t get through on the phone, the call doesn’t even go through! They even had the audacity to ask for another membership fee for 2024 in an email and I never got the credentials in the first place! They have my money, but I don’t have what I paid for. All I wanted to do was put some smiles on the faces of kids with difficulty reading. Instead I coughed up membership fee, a testing fee, and I have nothing to show for it. It appears I will need to make a complaint to the BBB and Charity Navigator since they haven’t bothered to respond to my inquiries. I strongly suggest if you are interested in doing therapy work with your dog, that you test and register with a different organization/charity.

Debbie Hanowell

My dogs and I were teams for almost 20 years. Then, they stopped returning my calls about my 2022 renewal. They kept my check, and suspended me for 3 years. One disagreement in 15+ years and that's how I'm treated. We averaged 20-25 visits monthly with wounded warriors at Fort Bragg NC.

Harvey Schwartz

About 2 years ago, my dog, who had been with TDI for 5 years, was erroneously deregistered from visiting. Since then I have tried calling them multiple times, and emailed them in excess of 6 times. They never answered the phone and never responded to my emails. Also, I have never received any emails from them about potential sites to visit. It’s as if they don’t want therapy dogs. I have heard similar complaints from other TDI dog handlers. It seems to me that they must be going out of business and don’t want to encourage people to renew.

stephanie byrd

My COVID project was to do something I always wanted to do but never had the time to do it. I wanted to be trained, and to train a dog to become nationally pet therapy certified and bring smiles to any and all faces! I know what joy they bring to my life and I just want to bring that joy to others even if it’s only for a little while. Maverick and I did all of our training and graduated within 1 year of getting him at 8 weeks old. I will never forget one of the reviewers taking me aside and informing me how exceptional Maverick was with the kids, and that I should think about going into Elementary schools. I took her advice, even though that wasn’t my original plan. We have been attending two different Elementary schools going on our second year now. We also do a group session once a month with the elderly. If our patients are home bound we make visits to their home. When I put his bandanna around his neck he knows it’s therapy time. He is so comfortable and confident he struts his stuff walking down the hallway! He knows what he is supposed to do and is more than happy to oblige. I just sit back and watch him smile, watch the people smile, and then I smile. I am very grateful for TDI and the many lives it has and will change.

C T

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 it never received any communication from me since October 2016. TDI even forwarded an incomplete set of emails to support their 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 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 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.