Become a Certified Evaluator

Evaluator Criteria

So, you want to be an evaluator? To be considered for the position of Certified Evaluator for The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. you must meet the following requirements:

A) You must have a working registered therapy dog with which you’ve been working steadily (at least 8x per year) for a least one year.

B) You must have worked with your therapy dog in at least two different facilities.

C) You must have some training experience.

D) You must submit two written references from a professional such as your:

• Trainer
• Groomer
• Veterinarian
• Contact at the facility you visit with your dog

E) You must submit a resume describing your “Doggie” background and your involvement in that community. Mail, fax or e-mail the above items to our offices and we will review the criteria. Our Executive Director will make the final determination for the approval.

Test Dog Criteria

Test dogs must be registered Bright & Beautiful therapy dogs in good standing. Test dogs are registered with their evaluators. Test dogs should be seasoned therapy dogs with even temperaments and well understood reactions to other dogs.

Ideally, there should be at least two different test dogs at each test, a large and a small dog (a male and female for diversity). An intact male is suggested for at least one of the test dogs since they can elicit reactions in dogs more so than others. Female test dogs should never be in season while working at a test.

When evaluators choose their test dogs they should be highly in tune with the dogs and their typical reactions to all sorts of situations. Test dogs should be very experienced at working in therapy situations so they can tolerate at the test the circumstances likely to be encountered in the real world.

The test dogs must be crated for periods of time without disturbing the test and without barking at other dogs walking near their crate. They should be given enough personal space so they’re not crowded or threatened by those dogs waiting to be tested. Handlers of the test dogs should be aware of their test dogs before, during and after the test. An altercation between a handler and their dog with the test dog before the test is almost a guarantee for an unfair ability to conduct an unbiased test. Keep test dogs close, isolated and away from other dogs.