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

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.

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.

Your pet should be at least 1 year old and have been living with you for at least 6 months. We do not have a maximum age restriction as long as the animal is comfortable and wants to visit. There are no breed restrictions; however, certain facilities that we visit may limit specific breeds (rare).

• 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.

No specific training is required. We suggest that potential dog teams attend an introductory training class 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.

All animals must have a vet exam within the past year to ensure good physical and mental health

Dogs & Cats:

• Rabies vaccinated (or titer results if exempt)
• Distemper vaccinated (or titer results)
• A negative fecal exam within the past year

Horses, Goats: 

• Rabies vaccinated (or titer results if exempt)
• Coggins papers (Horses only)
• Clostridial vaccinated (CDT) (Goats only)

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs: 

• No vaccines required

Other Animals: 

• Please contact CCPT to determine vaccination needs

Handler: There are no vaccine requirements for the handler, but some facilities that we visit may have their own requirements, such as hospitals.

We ask our teams to perform at least 1-2 visits per month.

Anyone going on a visit needs to be certified with the animal. We do allow junior handlers (14 yrs – 17 yrs); however, they must perform visits under the supervision of a certified adult member.

Yes! You can be a member of CCPT and another therapy organization at the same time; just be sure to confirm that the other group allows dual membership. Please note that even if your pet has passed a therapy evaluation elsewhere, all teams must complete CCPT’s evaluation and onboarding process. This is required to meet our insurance guidelines and to honor the agreements we have with our partner facilities. Each therapy organization has its own standards, tests, and training procedures, so we cannot accept outside certifications in place of ours.

Yes! You may test with any animal you have known for at least six months. It could be a borrowed pet from a family member, friend, or even a neighbor.

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. 

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.

CCPT has group insurance to cover volunteers in good standing during visits to CCPT partner facilities.

We ask our teams to wear our logo prominently during visits, along with the ID badge we provide. You will receive a CCPT t-shirt and something for your pet to wear (bandana or leash cover) after you pass the evaluation. You may use any of our approved restraints for testing and visits. We highly recommend a pet stroller for small animals (under 15lbs).

YES, we have a variety of items, including collared shirts, sweatshirts, and fleece vests, available for purchase on our website.