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Become an AAT Volunteer
Welcome to our Animal Assisted Therapy Program! We are delighted to have you and your pet join the largest therapy program in South Florida. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a rewarding experience for you and your companion animal. Through this program, our AAT teams visit various facilities and organizations with their pets.
Provide weekly, bi-monthly or monthly visits to a variety of individuals with a certified therapy animal in a group or room-to-room setting. Establish contact with individuals through basic “meet and greet” activities or working on specific goals with individuals under the supervision of a facility staff member..
Please contact the Volunteer Department at 954-266-6814 to register for our Animal Assisted Therapy Program Orientation (without your animal). This class will teach you all about our Animal Assisted Therapy Program and what skill requirements both you and your animal must possess in order to be considered for our program.
For Handlers:
Handlers must be 18 years or older
Handlers must have owned their animal for a minimum of 6 months
Handlers must be able to read their animal’s particular stress signals
Handlers must be able to anticipate their animal’s responses, behavior and body language
Handlers must advocate for the safety and well-being of their animal at all times
Handlers must be able to communicate with their animal in a positive way, that does not include any kind of negative punishment
Handlers must represent themselves in a professional manner at all times while representing the Humane Society of Broward County
For Animals:
Animals must be one year or older to participate
Animals must be spayed or neutered
Animals must be current on all required vaccinations and tests
Animals must be non-aggressive in all situations towards humans and other animals
Animals must be interested in people and children
Animals must be well-behaved and know their basic obedience cues, this includes but is not limited to sit, down, stay, come, leave it and heel (walking on a loose leash)
Animals should have no history of aggression, including lunging, biting, growling, or seriously injuring either a person, child or another animal
There are lots of animals that make wonderful therapy animals and can form a strong human-animal bond. Currently, we accept the following animals in our AAT Program:
Dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, donkeys and pot-bellied pigs.
Provide weekly, bi-monthly or monthly visits to a variety of individuals with a certified therapy animal in a group or room-to-room setting. Establish contact with individuals through basic “meet and greet” activities or working on specific goals with individuals under the supervision of a facility staff member.
