Therapy Dog Program

Pets make people happy.

They provide unconditional love and comfort, but for residents living in care facilities, sadly, it isn’t always possible for them to have pets.  We know how much a visit with a friendly, fuzzy face can brighten the day for nursing home residents and contact with pets on a regular basis has been shown to improve cognitive functioning, balance emotional concerns and increase feelings of enthusiasm and interest.  And for those people with dementia, it has been shown that depression declines after they interact with a therapy animal.

Animals have the amazing ability to help calm the distressed, lift the spirits of the sad and lonely and can generate responses from some nursing home residents who are typically withdrawn and /or limited in their abilities.

Through our therapy program, we visit nursing homes with trained and loving animals to provide residents with a warm friendly pet to express their affection toward through petting and touching of the fur which not only promotes positive change, but can create increased physical activity and interaction among individuals.   Pets make people happy.

Want to learn more about our program?  Email us at therapydogs@saveapetusa.org