Upcoming Courses & Evaluations

Denver Pet Partners does not train animals. We educate the human end of the leash (the Handler) as an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) volunteer for facilities and events in the Denver area.  Pet Partners Handler Training Workshops are not designed to train professionals such as educators, counselors or social workers who plan to include their pets as therapy animals in the exercise of their profession. 

Included in the training are subjects such as risk management, infection control, engaging with different populations, recognizing stress signs in animals, and advocating for your therapy animal.  To become a volunteer therapy animal/handler team, you must first take either an in-person Handler Training Class, which is for the handler only (there are no animals in the class) or an online Handler Training Class, which is offered by Pet Partners on their web site.  After successful completion of either class, trainees are required to pass an online assessment.  You and your animal can then be evaluated in a Team Evaluation, a 22-part skills and aptitude test.  After passing the team evaluation, you are ready to register as a therapy animal/handler team with Pet Partners.  You must re-evaluate every two years.