Animal Assisted Therapy

Welcome to Animal Assisted Therapy!

At The San Francisco SPCA our Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Programs started in 1981, making us the oldest program operating within a larger animal welfare organization.  We currently have more than 100 volunteer teams making visits to locations throughout San Francisco.  Working with their own friendly dogs, cats, small animals and birds, our busy volunteers share the human-companion animal bond with more than 40,000 people annually.

The Animal Assisted Therapy Department operates two programs: the General AAT Program and the Puppy Dog Tales Reading Program.  Both programs are designed to facilitate communication, healing, and motivation by bringing the love of companion animals to people in mental and physical healthcare facilities, libraries and schools. 

The General Program sends volunteer teams to hospitals, nursing homes, senior centers, psychiatric facilities, centers for the developmentally disabled, convalescent homes, and youth facilities.  Our teams provide Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and sustained work toward therapeutic goals in conjunction with a healthcare professional (AAT).

Our newest addition, the Puppy Dog Tales Reading Program, brings the benefits of the human-companion animal bond to young readers.  We work in select San Francisco Public Libraries and San Francisco Unified Schools to improve literacy, and engender a love of reading in children whose first language is not English, those with learning disabilities, and remedial readers.

You can click here to download an application and click here to sign up for orientation.

For more information on becoming an AAT volunteer, please call 415.554.3060 or email AAT@sfspca.org.