About the Team

The DEN CATs members are truly a special breed. Dedicated volunteer pet owners/handlers share their time, and their family pet, to participate in this program. All CATS are registered with a recognized pet therapy association and are trained and insured.

CATS in the House

Our crew of CATS volunteers allows us to schedule, on average, three CATS visits per day. Each pet and owner team circulates through the airport for approximately two hours per visit. Keep your eyes open and your arms ready to give a big hug to one of our furry volunteers!

Follow @DENAirport on Twitter to see the daily CATS schedule.

Join the CATS Team

Training and Registration

CATS volunteer handlers wishing to apply with their pet must have experience working with a recognized animal therapy organization. All dogs should have the equivalent of one year experience with an approved therapy day program prior to volunteering at DEN. Dogs with less than one year experience will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis prior to receiving approval to join the CATS therapy dog program.

Participating pets must be privately owned and be at least two-years old. All canine CATS volunteers must be registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs or Pet Partners. They are international organizations that register, insure and support members who are involved in similar volunteer activities, such as visits to hospitals, special needs centers, schools, nursing homes and libraries.

Prospective CATS handlers will participate in DEN customer service training and field evaluations to ensure that this environment will be a good fit for both volunteer and dog. Additionally, handlers will go through Airport Security background checks, fingerprinting and security testing prior to receiving an Airport ID badge.

Role of CATS Volunteer Handlers

  • Surprise, delight and comfort passengers through positive interactions with therapy animals
  • Promote DEN and the CATS program
  • Inform and assist passengers with airport-related questions and wayfinding
  • Hand out trading cards featuring your CATS pet

Schedule

All CATS volunteer teams work a minimum of 10 hours per quarter. While the dates of visits are flexible, CATS and their handlers average three visits per month.

Contact

For more information about joining the program, please email your request to: [email protected]. To register with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, call (307) 432-0272 or email: [email protected]. To register with Pet Partners, visit: petpartners.org

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