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The goal of pet therapy is to provide comfort and companionship through contact with animals. Animal assisted therapy is accepted as a therapeutic intervention which promotes positive and beneficial health effects.

A dog can often work wonders in bringing happiness or comfort where other therapies are wanting. Pet visitations are a particularly rewarding experience for the aged, chronically ill, disabled, emotionally challenged as well as psychiatric patients and inmates of correctional facilities because of the dog’s non-judgmental friendliness. The presence of a dog can make hospitals and long-term care facilities more homelike. Dogs can also provide emotional support for institutional staff and the family of patients.

The Therapy Paws program. Our volunteers have provided visitation services to many health care institutions in the greater St. John’s area since the late 1980s. Visits are made to the Miller Centre, Waterford Hospital, Hoyles/Escasoni, Agnes Pratt Home, Masonic Park, Elizabeth Towers and Cambridge Estates. Pet therapy volunteers are also available to participate in special programs and events. Visits are scheduled both during the day and evenings to accommodate the availabilty of volunteers.

Who can join. Only dogs are used in the Therapy Paws program. Each dog/handler team is unique and has its own style of working. Any caring dog owner can apply to become a member and any breed or mix or size of dog can do therapy work. A good therapy dog is over one year of age, healthy, well behaved and enjoys contact with humans. The proverbial “sook” makes a perfect therapy dog. Volunteers are first tested by a Tester/Observer and then observed during 3 supervised visits. Successful candidates and Tester/Observers are required to register with Therapy Dogs Inc. which is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to providing pet visitation services in various institutions and now numbering more than 10,000 members in Canada and the USA. Volunteers must also complete the Eastern Health volunteer screening program.

Visitations by therapy dogs are strictly voluntary. No charge is made to the institution or individual for whom this service is performed nor is any monetary reimbursement provided to volunteers.