Barbara and Lily, Sue and Coco, Nancy and Callie
As an animal assisted therapy volunteer with your pet, you will be helping others in therapeutic settings. You will also be helping your pet and yourself to understand how to relate to new situations and new people.
Through the activity of volunteering you come into contact with people whose paths you may never have crossed otherwise. It has always been a privilege to meet new people and learn new therapies and have the chance to be part of a care plan.
What you do with your pet has no boundaries and every day animals are being invited to participate in new aspects of physical, social and emotional therapies.
Here are a few tips for bringing the best of yourself and your pet to the therapeutic environment:
1. It is your responsibility to live up to the commitment and ensure that your pet is ready to work. It is also your responsibility to know when your pet is not able to work. Never bring an animal to work if it is stressed, ill, recovering from illness, or just having an off day.
2. Be responsible at all times for your pet. Never have your pet off leash or out of your sight and reach. Even though I have complete confidence in Coco’s temperament, she is always on leash and near me. This instills confidence in the people you are visiting and they can more readily relax in the presence of an animal.
3. It is important for every volunteer to be ethical and respect confidence. All the years Coco and I worked with at-risk children and adults, we never showed photos of their faces or discussed particular details about an individual, unless the facility gave us permission.
4. Being part of a team, with professionals in other areas such as physical and occupational therapy, has been so rewarding. Clear communication with the team helps you better focus on your role and how you can be an integral part of the care plan.
5. Show empathy, not sympathy. A successful animal assisted therapy pair love to meet new people, hear their stories, share their concerns but never feels sorry for them or their situation.
6. Be on time. Often we think our clients have nothing better to do than visit with our pet, but we are part of an overall schedule so being on time and ready to work is essential.
7. Be encouraging and supportive. Your role as a volunteer firstly is to meet the needs of the client you are visiting, rather than your own. You may want to read books one day, but when you arrive the client only wants to play with your dog. Working in tandem with the care plan coordinators, you may be able to combine both activities, but the client always comes first.
8. Be yourself. People know when someone is genuine and volunteering for the right reasons. If you think being an animal assisted therapy pair with your pet will further your career or enhance your popularity or bring fame, it is not the right volunteer activity for you. We do this because it is a way to share our love for our pet while bringing joy and enrichment to others.
9. Make sure your pet is clean. This may sound obvious, but always make sure your pet is ready to be handled, ears and teeth clean and smelling fresh, nails cut, coat brushed. And make sure you are also ready to visit. Dress comfortably and appropriately and remember, sometimes we are the only color and taste of the outside world in someone’s day.
10. Have fun. Often the environments we are walking into are not “fun” places. You are not meeting people at their best. But remember to have a good attitude, upbeat personality and very often your smile and your dog’s kiss can be the only bright spot in someone’s day.
For more information about animal assisted therapy, visit www.deltasociety.org
Sue Grundfest is a licensed Team Evaluator for Delta Society, the national animal assisted therapy program. If you would like to see if you and your pet are suitable for therapy work, please contact Sue at coco@cocothelovedog.com
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