Paws to Connect
Pet Therapy
Our Pet Therapy and Humane Education team is composed of volunteers with their certified pet therapy animals who visit those in need of kindness and compassion, as well as promote love and caring for animals through educational presentations geared toward children, adults or seniors.
Request a Visit!
Pet therapy teams travel to schools, nursing homes, hospitals, shelter events, and more.
Please fill out the form below to request a visit.
When requesting a visit, please remember out pet therapy teams are made up entirely of volunteers. Visits are subject to availability!
Become a Certified Pet Therapy Team Member!
Availability
Team members must have some weekday availability, mostly during the daytime hours of 9-5. There are occasional evening or weekend visits/events, but these are not typical.
Group Session
Each handler and his/her pet are first required to attend a Pet Therapy Handler’s Group Session, which will help you understand how Pet Therapy works and how you can keep your pet safe during the visit. These will be scheduled periodically and you will be notified of the date(s).
Certification
Next, you and your pet must pass a comprehensive hands-on test to be certified as a Pet Therapy Team. You and your pet are tested as a team.
Volunteer Meeting
Lastly, you will be required to attend a MCSPCA General Volunteer Orientation which provides you basic information about our shelter which you can share with the public during your visits. A Social Security and Criminal History background check is required at a $27 one time fee at the Orientation. Please click here to learn more about general volunteering!
More Info
For a very important list of the QUALIFICATIONS FOR A MCSPCA PET THERAPY ANIMAL, please click here.
If you’re interested in becoming a Pet Therapy team member fill out this form: click here
A certified member of our Pet Therapy and Humane Education team can participate in any of the three programs we offer: Pet Therapy, Humane Education and Read to Dogs.
The Pet Therapy program focuses on the interaction between the client (such as a patient or student) and the certified animal. Socialization and contact with the client is the priority. Visits usually last no more than one hour for the comfort and protection of you and your pet. Visits are made to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, special needs schools, hospitals and other similar venues.
Team members must be available weekdays, mostly during the daytime hours of 9-5. There are occasional evening or weekend visits, but these are not typical. You must commit to a minimum of 2 visits per month in any combination of Pet Therapy, Humane Education and Read to Dog visits.
All visits must be approved by the Pet Therapy Manager Team before you can go to a facility. If you do not have approval for a visit, you will not be covered by our insurance.
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