Business Details
23 Years
experience
Certified Therapy Dogs Bringing Comfort and Healing
Founded in 2003 by Krystal Emery, our organization has dedicated over two decades to delivering compassion through certified therapy animals. We specialize in animal-assisted therapy, serving hospitals, retirement homes, schools, and correctional facilities with a volunteer-driven model. Our team undergoes rigorous 8-week training programs, ensuring handlers and pets meet strict safety and professionalism standards. With partnerships spanning Ronald McDonald House, Los Angeles County Jails, and Kaiser Hospitals, weve documented over 100,000 visitations. Our mission emphasizes the human-animal bond, offering emotional support to individuals facing trauma, illness, or isolation.We maintain $2 million liability insurance for all volunteers and enforce strict hygiene and behavioral protocols for therapy animals. Our leadership team, including co-founders Krystal and Philip Emery, combines personal experience with professional expertise to guide our programs. Through initiatives like the Faith Dog Project and room makeover programs, we address both emotional and environmental needs of patients. Our training curriculum includes hands-on experience in healthcare settings, preparing volunteers for real-world challenges. We operate entirely on donations and community support, ensuring our services remain free to facilities in need.
Services
Therapy Dog Certification
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Training Classes
Facility Visits
Community Projects
Volunteer Support
Special Needs Visits
Hospital Programs
Juvenile Facility Visits
Comfort Dog Programs
Details
- Year established: 2003
Highlights and features
- We offer 22 years of experience in animal-assisted therapy programs
- Our volunteers complete 8-week hands-on training in healthcare facilities
- We partner with major institutions like Ronald McDonald House and Kaiser Hospitals
- All volunteers are covered by $2 million liability insurance
- We maintain strict hygiene and behavioral standards for therapy animals
What people say
Professionally trained volunteers
Therapy dogs bring joy
Well-managed program
Emotional support success
Dogs love their work
Services
Therapy Dog Certification
Our 8-week certification program trains volunteer handlers and pets for therapeutic environments. Participants learn facility protocols, safe animal handling, and interaction techniques for healthcare settings. The program includes hands-on experience in hospitals and assisted living facilities.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Certified therapy teams provide emotional support in hospitals, schools, and correctional facilities. Our visits reduce stress, stimulate social interaction, and improve emotional well-being through structured animal-human interactions.
Facility Visitation Programs
We coordinate regular visits to healthcare facilities, juvenile detention centers, and special needs schools. Our volunteers follow strict safety protocols while delivering personalized therapeutic experiences through animal interactions.
Community Projects
Our initiatives include room makeovers for patients and the Faith Dog Project for pediatric oncology patients. These programs combine environmental improvements with emotional support through therapy animal interactions.
Volunteer Training
We provide comprehensive education on therapy dog handling, including facility navigation, patient interaction, and infection control. Training emphasizes both animal behavior and healthcare environment requirements.
People
Krystal Emery
Founder/Director
Krystal founded Pet Prescription Team in 2003 after witnessing therapy dogs' impact on Alzheimer's patients. She develops training programs and oversees all volunteer operations with 22 years of hands-on experience in animal-assisted therapy.
Philip Emery
Co-Director
Philip co-founded the organization with his wife Krystal. He assists with training programs and facility partnerships, leveraging his experience managing therapy dog interactions in complex healthcare environments since 2003.
Questions
What is animal-assisted therapy?
Animal-assisted therapy uses trained animals to improve patients' emotional and physical well-being through structured interactions in healthcare settings.
How do I certify my dog?
Complete our 8-week training program covering facility protocols, safe handling, and patient interaction techniques for $175 plus $85 certification fee.
Which facilities do you visit?
We serve hospitals, assisted living facilities, schools, juvenile detention centers, and special needs programs across Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
Are visits free for facilities?
Yes, our therapy services are provided at no cost to facilities through community donations and volunteer support.
How are therapy dogs prepared?
Dogs undergo 8 weeks of training in real healthcare environments, learning to navigate medical equipment and interact safely with patients.
