“Paws With Love To Share”
Registered Charity #86535 9350 RR0001
At Therapeutic Paws of Canada we offer a volunteer based therapy dog and cat visitation program for senior’s facilities such as retirement homes, nursing homes, Alzheimer day away centers, hospitals and where there is a need. The medical establishment has long recognized the significant benefits of a therapy pet program. The petting and stroking of a dog helps to calm the most agitated resident and stimulates wonderful conversations about the pet they once owned. Recovery from surgery is quoted as being accelerated when there is continued contact with a pet. As a result of the many government fiscal cutbacks, the facility’s staff is stretched to their limits. The positive impact of our program on the day-to-day life of each senior throughout our community and beyond cannot be calculated.
Many of our members have been volunteering with their therapy dog(s) for over a decade. These people bring to Therapeutic Paws of Canada a wealth of experience and expertise working with seniors and canines. We know from experience that there are many seniors that do not have the advantage of a therapy pet visit. Some of these seniors have outlived their relatives and have no one to visit them. Sometimes they are in a facility that is a distance from their family making regular visits for them very difficult. We help to fill a need and bring a little sunshine to their lonely day.
In addition to visiting senior’s facilities and hospitals some TPOC dogs are involved in the Children’s Programs, such as, the PAWSTO READ® program. This program brings dogs into classrooms and libraries. Children that are experiencing difficulty with reading, for many different reasons, are attracted to this program and wait anxiously for their reading pal to arrive. Many children have significantly improved their reading skills. Dogs participating in the PAWS TO READ® program must pass the Interaction With Children evaluation and are “child certified” therapy dogs. As well, many TPOC dogs visit colleges and universities through the PAWS Visit program, helping to relieve a student’s stress level prior to exams.
We welcome dedicated individuals to join us in building this exciting new therapy pet organization. The Therapeutic Paws of Canada organization is based on the needs of the community and the volunteer’s simple request to “just let me visit with my dog”. We are not a multi level hierarchy of management; however, to safely administer each region we require Team Leaders and Registered Evaluators. To qualify as a Team Leader or Evaluator with Therapeutic Paws of Canada a candidate must demonstrate significant knowledge of dog behaviour and possess hands-on dog experience gained from such activities as obedience instructor, shelter worker, dog groomer, vet tech or they may be involved in other dog activities such as agility, tracking or flyball. These individuals must participate in therapy visitation, or possess previous experience visiting with their pet. For those interested in either of these positions please contact the Director of Team Leaders or the Director of Evaluators.
Our volunteers are covered by insurance when visiting on behalf of Therapeutic Paws of Canada. Each animal volunteer in our visiting program is required to successfully complete an assessment, proving they have the instincts and personality of a good therapy visitor. These dogs and cats must display temperament that shows confidence, good manners and sociability with other dogs, cats and people. The Therapeutic Paws of Canada Therapy Dog & Cat Evaluation is a well-developed evaluation. A nominal fee will be charged for this assessment.
In keeping with current safety factors governing volunteers our members must submit three references that will be verified. The members must submit to a vulnerable person police records check prior to visiting on behalf of Therapeutic Paws of Canada.
If you feel our program offers what you’ve been looking for, then join us, and make a difference in your community. To discuss our program in greater detail please visit our website and find a Team Leader in your community.