Sheri Spirt, M.D. is the founder of Puppies with a Purpose, Inc. and acting President. She started the organization after her dog, Shanie, passed away in 2011, realizing how helpful he was with patients in her practice, with hopes of educating others about canine assistants. She has been working with canines in treating patients for the past 16 years. She has also written extensively on the subject, and published articles in Animal Fair, Animal Wellness, K9 online, and Petside.com. Dr. Spirt has been practicing psychiatry since 1989. She earned her M.D. degree at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and completed both her psychiatric residency and psychopharmacology fellowship at NYU Medical Center. Her dog, Leah, functions as a therapy dog in her office.
Mary Jo Wilson, Ph.D. Has been in private practice for over 20 years. She treats both individuals and couples. She has also incorporated a canine into her practice and is well versed in the practice and benefits of animal assisted therapies. She is a strong believer in the benefits of canines in assisting with psychiatric disabilities for certain patients and a resource for those needing information and documentation.
Pat McGregor of Vancouver Dog Training and Vancouver Pet assisted therapy has been training dogs for over 20 years. With a mental health background, she is skilled in training dogs to function as psychiatric service animals. Vancouver Dog Training is conveniently located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She can be reached at (212) 877-7116.
Ron Myers has been training dogs for over 35 years. He is a highly accomplished trainer, having been certified as a dog trainer in various capacities. He was an AKC Good citizen test evaluator for many years and is highly skilled in training both service and therapy dogs, as well as treating other behavioral problems. Ron can be contacted at uniquek9services, located in Manhattan.
Stacy Alldredge of Who's Walking Who Behavior and Obedience Training has also been training dogs for many years. With a background in social work she made a career change over 20 years ago, and now combines her mental health skills in training animals and their human handlers. She is a great resource and highly knowledgeable on the benefits of canines in helping with emotional symptoms.
There are several Therapy Dog programs available in the United States. The largest is The Delta Society (aka PetPartners) www.deltasociety.org. The ASPCA is the east coast affiliate of Pet Partners. They offer many courses from training therapy dogs, to certifying, and placements. The Good Dog Foundation offers an intensive 11 week training course, as well as certification, and placement. The organization serves a variety of populations such as geriatric, adult, medical and psychiatric, pediatric, physical rehabilitation, and hospice care.
Therapy dogs international is the third largest, also offering training, testing, and placements throughout the country.
There are many smaller and more specialized organizations some listed on this website.