Dr. Leo Bustad was one of the founders of Pet Partners (then called Delta Society). His influence on the field of animal-assisted interventions was major, going beyond his role in founding our organization. In this guest post, Dr. Alan Beck shares some thoughts on Dr. Bustad’s influence and his memories…
This post is part of a continuing series on preparing your pet for therapy animal work. You’ve brought a new pet home who you think might be a great therapy animal (perhaps one you adopted from a shelter), and you’ve taken some time to prepare them for experiences they might…
Have you ever seen one of those “who rescued who?” bumper stickers and smiled, feeling an immediate sense of relatability with the idea that humans tend to benefit so deeply by sharing our lives with pets? General research on pet ownership and the human-animal bond supports this notion, suggesting that…
The first-ever Pet Partners Pet of the Year, a new signature fundraising competition to support Pet Partners, was held February 1–March 15, 2022. And we are so excited at the success of this inaugural event! During the six-week competition, pet candidates (with help from the humans who love them) raised…
The Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program has been dedicated since the beginning to bringing therapy animals to people who can most benefit. For more than three decades our dedicated volunteer teams have been bringing the power of the human-animal bond to people in healthcare settings of all kinds. As the…
Military veterans are a notable segment of the clients our therapy animal teams serve across the U.S. The impact animal-assisted interventions (AAI) can have for veterans is so significant that in November 2019, Pet Partners signed an agreement with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to set standards for AAI at VHA…
When holidays come around, it might be tempting to give your animal an adorable pair of cupid wings or a Santa hat in preparation for a visit. But before you dust off your pet’s costume collection, take a minute to learn about why it’s best to leave the costumes at…
There is no doubt that time is one of the most valuable commodities that we have—especially in this era in which it seems the world is spinning faster than ever. Yet even with the culture of hustle that surrounds us, millions of people still choose to give their time to…
In 2020, when stay at home orders and social isolation measures were put in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, reading visits at schools and libraries under our Read With Me™ initiative ceased to be an option in many places. At the same time, many families were experiencing educational…
Programs where children read to therapy animals have long been a part of AAI. Our Read With Me™ initiative gives schools, libraries, and therapy animal teams tools and resources for setting up animal-assisted reading programs onsite. But with stay at home orders and social isolation measures in place during the…
If you’re interested in learning more about the world of animal-assisted interventions, you’re in the right place! The first step to understanding animal-assisted interventions is to have a grasp on the terminology. With animal-assisted interventions gaining popularity, more and more terms have been created to attempt to describe these services.…
