|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Programs
for Animals Support
the OCSPCA
Volunteering
|
||
|
Pets Are Wonderful Support Join us! Our pet-assisted therapy program has openings for volunteers and their dogs to visit hospitals, nursing homes, and children’s homes throughout Orange County. To join the program, you must attend orientation (without your dog), visit a site with team members (without your dog), and successfully complete an evaluation of your dog's behavior. A $5 material fee is payable at the orientation. When your dog passes the evaluation there is a $25 membership fee, which includes a t-shirt and a bandana for your dog. The next orientation will be in the fall. PAWS is a pet assisted therapy program sponsored by the Orange County SPCA to bring smiles and encouragement to the disabled, frail, and bedridden residents of nursing homes and hospitals, and others in need of the stimulation that pets can provide. The program gives satisfaction to volunteers and patients alike, and helps to foster a better understanding and appreciation of the human/animal bond. Results are not measured in miraculous recoveries but in smiles where there were frowns, in comprehension where none existed, and in awakened response brought about by the touch of fur or lick of a warm tongue. It is these small triumphs that make the PAWS program an enriching and rewarding experience for all concerned.
|
Who can participate in PAWS?
|
|
|
