Request a Pet Therapy Team

Our pet therapy teams are looking for opportunities to share the love in their community.

Ongoing, scheduled pet therapy

Our teams are looking for opportunities to share the love in facilities in their community.

Where our pet therapy teams volunteer?
  • Cancer treatment centres
  • Community centres
  • Colleges and universities
  • Day programs
  • Group homes
  • Homeless shelters
  • Hospices
  • Hospitals
  • Mental health units
  • Rehabilitation centres
  • Seniors facilities and retirement communities
  • Veteran housing communities
What are the benefits of having Pets and Friends visit your facility?
  • Pet Therapy Teams are carefully evaluated through our process.
  • Members are covered by Pets and Friends’ third-party liability insurance in the unlikely event of an incident occurring during a pet therapy visit.
  • Volunteers are committed to participating in your program on a regular schedule.
  • Ongoing communication with and support from Pets and Friends to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of the Pet Therapy Program and to address any questions, concerns or comments.
  • Pet therapy visitations are provided free of charge.
What Pets and Friends expects from you
  • A designated contact person to coordinate pet therapy visitations.
  • An orientation/training appropriate for the facility.
  • A clear understanding of Pets and Friends’ policies and procedures for handler/pet teams and a willingness to abide by them.
  • Suitable space for pet therapy visits (in a facility, this could be in lounge/common areas; in a hospital, this is often volunteers visiting in individual rooms; in a school, it may be a quiet room where staff provide crowd control.)
  • A safe environment for our therapy pets (i.e.: if non-therapy dogs or other pets are permitted in your facility, they should be on a leash).
  • A formal request (scroll down to complete the form).
How to identify Pets and Friends’ Pet Therapy Teams
  • The handler and pet will wear their Pets and Friends ID Badges.
  • The dog will wear a branded Pets and Friends bandana and a purple leash.
  • The handler will wear a branded Pets and Friends vest.
How it works - Ready to Feel the Love?
  • To request a pet therapy volunteer, please fill out the form below.
  • All requests are reviewed to determine if your facility is a good fit for our mission.
  • The request will then be added to our list of available pet therapy opportunities for Pet Therapy Teams to review when selecting a facility to visit.
  • When a suitable Pet Therapy Team is available and interested in volunteering, Pets and Friends will contact the facility directly. We do our best to fulfill every request but, due to the number of requests we receive, cannot provide a guarantee of or timeframe for placement.

Invite us to your event

Do you have a special event and want therapy pets to attend?

Pets and Friends accepts two different types of pet therapy requests: Community Pet Therapy Visits and Employee Wellness Corporate Sponsored Events.

How long are the events scheduled for?
  • The events can be either 60 or 90 minutes in length.
What does the setup look like?
  • The event can take place in a designated room or with stanchions for crowd control. 

What happens at these events?
  • Typically, we provide 2-5 (sometimes more!) pet therapy teams to come share the love at your event. 
  • You may wish to have participants pre-book for the time slot that best suits their schedule (and arrange for them to drop by in small groups) or simply host a drop-in session where they line up to get some puppy love!
  • Participants have an opportunity to pet, cuddle and talk to the dog.
What about insurance?
  • All pet therapy teams are covered by our third party liability insurance during the event. Please inquire for more information or about being an additional insured.

Virtual pet therapy

Do you know someone who could use some virtual pet therapy? Feeling the love is only a click away.

Our Pet Therapy Teams are ready to share the love! If you’re looking to bring a dose of ‘paws-itivtiy’ into the day of a resident, patient, student, staff or individual who could use some puppy love, schedule a video call with one of our Pet Therapy Teams! Our Virtual Paws Program aims to reach individuals who are alone or unable to receive physical visits. This unique face to face call encourages conversation and brings comfort and companionship.

Hospitals, care facilities, universities, businesses, organizations and individuals requesting a Virtual Visit must have a designated person to facilitate the call using their own tablet, phone or computer and an app of their choice (i.e.: FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp, Skype). After completing the request form below and receiving confirmation that your call can be accommodated, you will receive information about the therapy dog who will be contacting you on the scheduled date and time of your Virtual Visit.