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Handler's Course

Learn the skills you need to visit safely with your animal in hospitals, nursing homes, classrooms, and other facilities by completing the Handler's Course.

Topics Include:

● How to tell if both you and your animal are a good fit to be a therapy team.
● Preparing yourself and your animal for visits.
● Identifying and decreasing stress in your animal.
● Animal health and safety.
● Special needs of specific client groups.
● How to interact respectfully with different client populations.
● Facility health and safety codes.
● Patient confidentiality.

You need to complete the course in at one of the formats offered. To successfully complete either the in person workshop or the online Pet Partners Handler Course, participants will need to pass an online assessment within one year after taking the course and attempt an evaluation within two years. Documentation of the completion of this course, whether instructor-led workshop or online format, is required for a team to evaluate.

Attend a Workshop Taught by a
Pet Partners® Licensed Instructor

Advantages of attending the workshop include:

  • hands on visitation practice

  • detailed explanation of the team evaluation

  • immediate feedback on any questions

  • handler manual full of policies, procedures, tips, techniques

  • people who take the in person class have a higher rate of passing the team evaluation on their first attempt

  • being with members of PPCNY helps students gain confidence for their evaluation and future visitations as well as build a relationship with members

This workshop is for the human-end of the leash only.

You must register for the class through the national website.

The fee for an in person workshop is $40.

Next Handler's class is scheduled for:

June 1, 2026   Liverpool, NY

The registration process begins by creating an account at Pet Partners National

petpartners.org

For more workshop and/or payment information,

please go to Contact Us.

(Financial assistance is available.)

To Register For An In-person Workshop:

​

  1. On the national website (petpartners.org) click on "Volunteer Login" in the top right corner.

  2. If you have an account, click the Login button on the left side of the page. 

  3. If you need to create an account, complete the form on the right side of the page.

  4. Once logged in, click on "Courses and Events" > "Sign Up" > "Handler" > "Workshops"

  5. You can search by "Location" or "Date"

  6. "Location" - Scroll down to "New York - Syracuse" > "Available Classes" > then the "Registration" button for the class of your choice.

  7. "Date" - Click on the month name. Any available classes will be listed. Click the "Registration" button for the class of your choice.

  8. "Checkout" to complete the registration

  9. No money is due at this time.

Complete the Online Handler's Course

For handlers who cannot attend a workshop, an online version of

the Pet Partners Team Training Course is available. The course includes a student guide with suggestions for activities that will help

handlers learn the necessary skills and registration materials.

The fee for the on-line course is $80

To Register For The Online Course:

​

  1. On the national website (petpartners.org) click on "Volunteer Login" in the top right corner.

  2. If you have an account, click the Login button on the left side of the page. 

  3. If you need to create an account, complete the form on the right side of the page.

  4. Once logged in, click on "Courses and Events" > "Sign Up" > "Handler" > "Online Courses"

  5. Select "Therapy Animal Handler Online Course", click the "Registration" button at the bottom of the page.

  6. "Checkout" to complete the registration

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