A service animal is specifically task-trained to help their disabled owner. An emotional support animal is a companion that provides comfort and therapeutic benefits to a person by just being around. Therapy animals accompany their owners to partner sites to provide comfort and happiness to others. Unlike service animals, therapy animals do not have public access rights in stores or on planes. They are treated like regular pets outside our facilities. Therapy animals do not qualify for housing exceptions as they are pets.

All CCPT visits are in the following NJ counties: Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.

While most of our therapy pets are dogs, we also accept cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and some miniature farm animals. We currently do not accept any type of birds or reptiles.

We have a program for in-house therapy animals (pets that go to work with their handler), which includes an annual fee and a contract with the facility. Currently, this program is only for schools. The program costs $750 annually and is typically covered by educational grants. Please reach out to us for further information on this program. 973-285-9083 ext:202

Creature Comfort is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization raising enough funds to cover the cost of doing business. CCPT charges fees to cover the cost of testing, team materials, ongoing training, and supervision of our teams. As a CCPT team member, you are also covered by our liability policy.

Calm and under full control of the handler. Willingly approaches strangers for petting. Enjoys people of all types and ages. Confidence in unfamiliar situations / environments. Neutral with other animals. Can ignore other dogs on leash in close proximity.

Most visits are during the weekday hours of 9 am - 5 pm. Evening and weekend visits are less frequent and may require you to drive further. Please consider if you have time to perform therapy visits.

Our online dynamic calendar lets teams choose from a wide variety of visits based on location and schedule. We take care of the details (best place to park, where to check in, what to expect), so teams will never need to contact facilities directly to schedule visits.

The first-year application fee is $100, which includes $60 for onboarding costs and $40 for your first-year membership dues. After that, the membership dues are $40 annually.

We do not offer dog training classes. A list of dog trainers we recommend is available here. We suggest completing basic training (sit, down, leave it, walking nicely on the leash, and respectful greetings) before taking the evaluation test. Some facilities offer therapy dog prep classes. A Canine Good Citizen prep class would be another option to help prepare your dog for the test.