The PET program is founded on the belief that animals can have a tremendous impact on the human spirit.
The Helen Woodward Animal Center’s animal-visitation program provides opportunities for people with special needs to experience unconditional love and a variety of physical, psychological and social benefits when interacting with specially trained therapy animals. Lowered blood pressure, increased memory recall, reduction in anxiety are just a few of the benefits that we see along with the simple enjoyment of petting a furry friend.
PET’s primary goal is to reach out to the clients who have the most need for our services. Skilled nursing centers, mental health & rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, memory care residences and child/adolescent facilities with limited or no access to animals are our priority. We also provide many one-time visits to hospice clients, special events and other facilities in need.
PET staff and a remarkable group of dedicated volunteers partner with a variety of certified therapy animals to provide this service. Dogs, cats, rabbits, and many other species each have a special way of reaching even the most withdrawn of our clients. Regardless of whether the animal lives at the Center or with a volunteer, all of our animals are tested for both health and temperament before joining the program. It is important that the animal not only be safe but also enjoys the interactions as much as our clients.
Like the rest of the Center, PET relies on private donations to fund the program. Very little revenue is generated by PET because services are offered free of charge to non-profit facilities and charge only a $30 to $52 fee per visit for other facilities; revenues generated only pay about one-twentieth of the department’s operating budget. Currently, we have a long waiting list of facilities to visit and need additional funding before we can expand our service. In addition to one-time donations, donors also have the opportunity to sponsor a facility, an animal in the program or support the program for an entire year! These sponsor opportunities are also available to corporations looking to make a difference in their community.
All donations are fully tax deductible as permitted by law.
The program provides opportunities for people with special needs to experience the benefits of human-animal interaction. Along with being enjoyable for the people we visit, the interactions can also provide stress reduction, relaxation, lowered blood pressure, increased attention span, increased memory recall, and improved self esteem. Benefits for the PET animals include a work schedule of one hour each day with the next day off, the love of hundreds of people and the best care and housing available. Benefits for our volunteers and staff are the satisfaction of truly touching the lives of the people we visit.
We have a large variety of animals — from dogs and cats, to rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, and birds — working with volunteers in our program. Many of our volunteers use their own animals in our program while others, who may not have an appropriate animal at home, use the small animals housed at the Center for this purpose. Most of these small animals come from backgrounds of neglect or abandonment and are rehabilitated into the program. Only animals that enjoy the work are accepted into our program.
We visit any facility that has a client population that can benefit from animal interactions. Currently, we travel to psychiatric hospitals, skilled nursing centers, memory care residences, emergency children’s shelters, adolescent behavior centers, facilities serving veterans, and hospital sub-acute units.
Start by filling out a Volunteer Application and attend a Volunteer Orientation held here at the Center. After the orientation a PET staff member will contact you to discuss the program and to make sure this is the right match. Next you will attend a training session and then accompany the PET manager on your first few visits. We ask our volunteers to work at least one three-hour shift each week with a 6-month commitment.
We would love to see if your dog would enjoy this type of work! Any type of dog, whether it is purebred or a blend, is welcome. The important thing is that the dog loves people, is neutral with other dogs and small animals, and trained well enough to enjoy and behave in new and strange surroundings. We do like the dogs to be at least 1 – 1/2 years of age and altered. Your dog will also need to be screened by your vet for any health issues as well as to verify current vaccines. If this sounds like a good match for your dog then please contact PET staff to set up a time for an assessment.
Special thanks to:
9am-5pm Tuesday-Thursday-Friday
*Visits scheduled by appointment only. Call or email for more information.
Pet Encounter Therapy Specialist
Robin Cohen
Due to Hurricane Hilary, all departments will be closing at 3pm today. Stay safe!