Top Tails Institute
About Us
Top Tails Institute was founded by Brian A. Irwin, an experienced Animal-Assisted Psychotherapist, Therapeutic Counsellor, and canine behaviour specialist. With more than 20 years of experience supporting people and dogs, Brian brings together professional therapy and evidence-based training.​
Our Mission:
The Top Tails Institute exists to deliver structured canine assisted therapeutic support that is ethical, assessment led, and safeguarding focused.
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We work with individuals for whom conventional approaches may be insufficient, inappropriate, or inaccessible, integrating carefully trained dogs within a professionally governed therapeutic framework.
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Our mission is to prioritise safety, regulation, consent, and welfare for both humans and dogs, and to proceed only where intervention is appropriate, suitable, and ethically defensible.
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Work is capacity limited, suitability based, and never guaranteed.
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Our Vision:
The Top Tails Institute seeks to establish a model of canine assisted therapeutic work that is ethical, professionally governed, and clearly bounded.
Our vision is that dogs are integrated into therapeutic support only where this is appropriate, assessment led, and safeguarding focused, and never as informal, commercial, or entertainment based activity.
Through this work, we aim to demonstrate what careful and responsible canine assisted practice looks like in real world settings.
Our Values:
Safeguarding First
We place the safety and wellbeing of all participants, human and canine, above all other considerations. Safeguarding takes precedence over convenience, demand, or expectation.
Professional Integrity
Our work is guided by professional judgement, ethical frameworks, and clear accountability. Standards are not diluted to increase access or appeal.
Assessment Before Action
All work is assessment led. Suitability, capacity, and consent determine whether and how intervention proceeds.
Respect for Autonomy
We work with individuals at their own pace and respect autonomy, consent, and the right to withdraw at any time.
Canine Welfare
Dogs are not tools or props. Their wellbeing, suitability, and ongoing consent are actively monitored and protected.
Clarity and Boundaries
We are clear about what we offer and what we do not. Acceptance of referral is never guaranteed and boundaries are maintained at every stage of engagement.