Animal Assisted Therapy is the use of pets for the treatment of illnesses to attain a specific goal. These treatments are delivered or directed by a human health provider (physical, occupational,recreational therapist and sometimes other people in the medical profession). These treatments are monitored and documented to show the progress and development of the patient receiving this treatment. So, for animal assisted therapy you must fulfill three criteria: (1) must be overseen by a health service provider (related to their profession),(2) must be goal-oriented and (3) you must documented the visits.
Now that you know what Animal Assisted Therapy is, it becomes easy to describe animal assisted activities. It is everything else. Does it mean it does not help people? Definitely not! Although we do not have a medical goal to attain or document the progress of the people we visit, animal assisted activities provides the benefit of often needed companionship and a way for the people we visit to escape if just for a short while from their present to a place of laughter and comfort and help to build new and pleasant memories. For some, it will give them a boost of confidence and others a new friend to look forward to the next visit.
Petpals is presently supporting Animal Assisted Activities. We are working towards developing partnerships with different therapists in the community to add Animal Assisted Therapy to our program.
In our menu Menu Column, to the left of this page, you will see a "Join Us" button. Moving your mouse over this button will display a submenu with links to "Visits" and "Application." Click on "Application" to access the forms you will need to complete, our volunteer guide (which is a must read), and the rest of the procedures to follow to become part of the Petpals family. The Volunteer Guide will help you with any questions regarding the characteristics of pets best suited to animal assisted activities or therapy and our policies and procedures.