The Good Dog Foundation And Planet Dog Foundation Launch Partnership To Advance Animal-Assisted Therapy

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May 05, 2015, 11:22 ET

NEW YORK, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Good Dog Foundation, a globally recognized leader in therapy dog training, placement and research, and the Planet Dog Foundation, the charitable arm of the award-winning Planet Dog pet products company, have announced a yearlong partnership to expand certified therapy dog services in the Northeast United States.

Among those expected to benefit are children on the autism spectrum and those with reading problems, hospital patients, elderly veterans, and teens in substance abuse programs.

"There is growing demand for animal-assisted therapy services for traumatized and stressed populations," said Rachel McPherson, Founder and Executive Director of Good Dog. "The Planet Dog Foundation is providing a grant to help us fulfill this demand. We feel lucky to have a partner whose goals mesh with ours so completely."

Kristen Smith, Executive Director of Planet Dog Foundation, said: "We are committed to supporting organizations that exemplify excellence and best practices. Good Dog delivers model core services while working to establish the highest standards. We are so proud to sponsor their work."

Good Dog, for 17 years, has helped millions of people through the stresses of disaster, disease, injury, aging, learning disorders, disabilities, and other conditions. It has pioneered innovative training and certification protocols that use actual trauma scenarios to give human handlers and their dogs a clinical approach to their work. Good Dog teams are assigned to hospitals, trauma centers, education facilities, and nursing homes in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts and disaster sites nationally.

Good Dog augments field work with scientifically based research to examine and improve the effects of animal-assisted therapy (AAT). A recent study with Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, supported by Pfizer Foundation and Zoetis, was the first clinical trial to conclusively document improvements in emotional wellbeing and quality of life using animal-assisted therapy in adult cancer patients.¹

Good Dog and Planet Dog will assess and fine-tune their partnership over the next 12 months with a goal of expanding their work together in subsequent years.

About The Good Dog Foundation

The Good Dog Foundation founded in 1998, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit currently operating in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts as well as at disaster sites around the U.S. It is the leading provider of professionally trained, fully certified, and supervised volunteer therapy dog teams serving the Northeast United States. Good Dog's quality control, training, team placement, and supervision protocols are widely recognized as setting the national bar for best practices in the industry.

Thousands of teams, each consisting of dog and human handler, have been trained by Good Dog over the past 17 years to provide exceptional healing services and promote the human-animal therapeutic bond in a positive, medically correct manner. Good Dog teams are recognized for helping survivors and responders recover from disasters like the September 11^th attacks, Sandy Hook, Boston Marathon bombings, and Hurricane Sandy. They facilitate the teaching of children on the autism spectrum, participate in anti-bullying campaigns, and work with cancer patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. In the last year, Good Dog teams visited 350 partner facilities helping some 340,000 people in need. In all its activities, Good Dog is a steadfast advocate for the healing potential of the human-animal bond. www.thegooddogfoundation.org

About Planet Dog

Since 1997, Planet Dog has been a proud designer and developer of the best products using the best materials for our best friends. The industry leader in creating socially responsible, innovative, high-quality, award-winning products, Planet Dog products are carried by 10,000+ independent specialty retailers, pet shops, boutiques, gift stores, and feed and garden stores worldwide. Planet Dog enjoys long-standing premium partnerships with Amazon, L.L.Bean, The Black Dog, Orvis, Whole Foods, PetValu, Unleashed by PetCo, Life is good® and more. www.planetdog.com

About the Planet Dog Foundation

The Planet Dog Foundation (PDF) is the philanthropic arm of Planet Dog, and is funded primarily through the sale of Planet Dog products. 2% of every Planet Dog purchase goes to the Foundation's grant program, making every customer a donor. PDF is a 501(c)(3) grant-making organization supporting working dogs who are enhancing and saving human lives. PDF funds service dogs, therapy dogs, police, fire, and military dogs, K-9 search & rescue, medical alert dogs and other programs that harness the dog's natural ability to help and heal. Since 2006, PDF has given over $1 million in cash grants and product donations to exemplary non-profits across the country. www.planetdogfoundation.org

¹ "Beneficial effects of animal-assisted visits on quality of life during multimodal radiation-chemotherapy regimens." Stewart B. Fleishman, MD et al. The Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology, Jan. 2015

For Information Contact:
Sarah Smedley: 917-656-9262
Carly Goteiner: 646-569-5073

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SOURCE The Good Dog Foundation