Therapy Dogs Nationwide (TDN) is a national charity whose volunteers use their temperament assessed dogs as comfort, stimulation and distraction for the benefit of the local community. Our volunteers and their dogs have the unique privilege of being able to visit establishments such as schools. hospitals and care home to provide comfort, distraction and stimulation. The use of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is well recognised, and dogs have been used in the care sector for over 40 years with many of our volunteers having over 20 years of experience in this field. In schools’ children will confidently read to dogs improving their communication and literacy skills, whereas in care homes, the physical act of stroking a dog will often evoke memories of a childhood pet and elicit conversation to aid dementia patients. Our dogs often visit universities during exam time to relieve stress for the students as well as visiting the emergency services, fire, police and ambulance as part of staff wellness days. Therapy Dogs Nationwide started in 2016 and grew to 1,000 registered volunteers in just 5-years. Many volunteering teams visit their chosen establishment on a weekly or monthly basis and their arrival is a much-anticipated event. Residents, patients, pupils and staff alike all look forward to their time with their Therapy Dog. While regular, long term visiting will always be at the core of what we do, we are increasingly being asked to attend “one-off” meetings such as support at Court for a particular case or at a funeral director to comfort mourners. If you believe you have a calm dog who loves people and can spare an hour a week, please get in touch to find out more – enquiries@tdn.org.uk Many questions can be answered on our FAQ pages on our website.