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The San Francisco SPCA's Animal Assisted Therapy Program
The San Francisco SPCA's Animal Assisted Therapy Program brings the healing presence of animals to people in health care facilities citywide. Society volunteers take their own pets on the visits: dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits - even cats. AAT visits do far more than provide a temporary lifting of spirits to clients in hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatric clinics and special schools. Again and again,residents show increased communication, decreased anxiety, and even decreased heart rates. Where humans sometimes fail, animals are often successful in cutting through the barriers that isolate people with physical and emotional difficulties. "We gather around the AAT animal and volunteer like people warming their hands at a campfire," says one therapist. The SF SPCA was the first animal welfare organization to provide this invaluable service. Today,the Society's program is considered a model in the field. Last year, AAT staff and volunteers visited a record-high total of 27,565 people in nearly 100 healthcare facilities. For more information on The San Francisco SPCA's Animal Assisted Therapy Program, call (415) 554-3060.
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AAT Volunteer Party 2007 |
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