Animal Assisted Therapy

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a branch off the tree of Animal Assisted Services (AAS). Animal Assisted Services (formerly known as Animal Assisted Interventions) include activities that utilize animals to benefit humans. This includes animal assisted activities (aka “pet therapy”), animal assisted therapy, animal assisted education, and more. 

The Humane Society of Broward County’s Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) program uses volunteers and their companion animals to provide comfort to children and adults with special needs or those experiencing life’s stresses.

Animals provide people with unconditional love and non-judgmental acceptance and companionship. They serve as catalysts for social interaction and as bridges to interpersonal communication and attachment. We utilize the human-animal bond to help improve health and quality of life for others. It’s no wonder people love their pets so much!

*A therapy pet is not a service animal. Please check out our information page on the differences between a Service, Therapy, and Emotional Support Dog. 

*We do not use adoptable homeless animals in our AAT program. Eligible pets must be owned by the potential volunteer and meet the program criteria. 

The use of animal therapy to assist people with special needs is not a new concept. There is increasing evidence and statistics that show that the emotional and psychological benefits of pet companionship have physiological counterparts as well. Pets improve not only the intangible “quality of life” but also improve human health.

There have been many studies documenting that petting and caring for animals, particularly those with whom a bonded relationship has been established, can reduce blood pressure, slow heart rate, and improve survival rates from heart disease. The presence of an animal also triggers the brain’s neurotransmitters to release our “happy hormones” (oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins) and reduce levels of our stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline). This release of our happy hormones positively effects our mood, social interactions, and feelings of pain.  

Animal Assisted Therapy is being used in a wide variety of settings to help people with acute and chronic illnesses.  In the hospital, we visit various floors to bring the joy of our pets to those who are ill or recovering. The AAT teams visit the patients’ rooms and help to reduce the stress and anxiety of the children. Many times when the children need to have blood drawn, the dogs are right there beside them so they can pet the dog and have a distraction while their blood is being taken. The interactions between the dogs and the patients are remarkable.

Janice Zack, Certified Child Life Specialist says, “We see this time and time again with the patients. Pets reduce stress, lift spirits, and promote healing in a comforting way.” Our volunteers and companion animals visit their assigned senior facility and give those residents and patients an opportunity to pet the animal, socialize with one another and tell loving stories about their beloved animal friends. AAT visits can be as basic as “meet and greet” or as structured as working on specific goals with individuals under the supervision of a trained staff member.

Local student, Anabella Halfen, conducted a study at Posnack School, examining the impact of HSBC Animal Assisted Therapy dog visits on students, with emphasis on the impacts of pet therapy for stress and anxiety. Surveying 125 middle and high school students, she found that students experienced high stress, anxiety, and negative moods prior to interacting with the dogs due to school work and outside factors. After the visits, anxiety levels dropped significantly and students reported feeling calmer, more satisfied, and improved mood. Notably, 92.5% of participants agreed that pet interactions help boost mood and reduce anxiety. Anabella’s results align with existing research and further demonstrate that animal-assisted therapy offers meaningful benefits for individuals of all ages.

The type of visit depends on the need of the facility. Additionally, our AAT teams and their therapy animals educate the children in our community on pet safety and how to prevent a dog bite, how to properly care for a pet, why it’s so important to spay and neuter your pet amongst other topics.

It’s critically important to ensure that each child and adult we meet with our therapy animals learn how to be safe around animals and then help us to spread the word to others on pet safety. Each therapy team is carefully evaluated prior to certification and receives specialized training prior to placement in the program.  The Animal Assisted Therapy Program (AAT) is a rewarding experience for you and your companion animal.

Our program, originally established to serve elderly nursing home residents in Broward County, has expanded to benefit diverse populations across Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach counties. We now provide animal-assisted therapy to a wide range of facilities, as seen below.  Additionally, we offer the Wags & Tales Reading program, where children who struggle with reading can practice by reading to certified therapy and education dogs.

Through this program, our AAT teams visit various facilities with their pets. Below are some of the types of facilities we visit:

• Psychiatric
• Facilities
• Nursing
• Homes (short & long term care)
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Adult Day Care Centers
• Retirement Homes
• Skilled Nursing Facilities / Homes
• Hospitals
• Hospice
• Alzheimer’s & Dementia Facilities
• Residential Senior Groups
• Memory Support Centers
• Mental Health Facilities
• Children’s Long Term Care Facilities Pediatric In-patient & Intensive Care Units
• Eating Disorder Clinics
• Fire and Police Stations
• Developmental Pre-schools (children with multiple and severe disabilities)
• Libraries, Private and Public Schools

***We do not offer pet therapy visits to private residences.***

There are certain criteria that you and your pet must meet in order to join the program. 

For Animals:

• Canines must be two years or older to participate, other animals will depend upon the species
• Animals must be spayed or neutered
• Animals must be well-behaved and have mastered their basic obedience cues, including but is not limited to sit, down, stay, come, leave it, heel, and loose leash walking. 
• Animals must be in good health and have up to date rabies and vaccinations. Proof of current health certificate from your veterinarian is required prior to evaulation.
• Animals must be 100% potty trained
• Animals must be non-aggressive in all situations towards humans and other animals
• Animals must be interested in meeting new people
• Animals should have no history of aggression, including lunging, biting, growling, or seriously injuring either a person, child or another animal
• Animal should be trained utilizing Positive Reinforcement and Fear Free methods
• As of January 1, 2024, dogs are required to have passed the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC). A certified dog trainer must administer this. Or all CGC areas will be tested and must be passed during a Therapy Evaluation.  
• All dogs must be heartworm negative. If a dog had heartworm, they must have had a negative result during their 6 month post treatment recheck before being evaluated. 

For Handlers:

• Handlers must be 18 years or older
• Handlers must have owned/worked with the 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 may not use choke chains, prong collars, shock collars or any type of negative punishment equipment when working with their animal
• Handlers must represent themselves in a professional manner at all times while representing the Humane Society of Broward County

Eligible Species:

There are many species that make wonderful therapy animals. Currently, we accept the following animal species in our AAT Program:

• Dogs
• Cats
• Ferrets
• Guinea Pigs
• Rabbits
• Pot-bellied Pig
• Equines
• Llamas & Alpacas

Therapy pets are more than just our average friendly four-legged friend. Please consider the following questions to see if AAT work would be something you AND your pet would enjoy.

Your pet:

• How does your pet respond to new people?
• How does your pet respond to being petted by strangers?
• How does your pet respond to being hugged by strangers?
• How does your pet respond to being groomed/bathed?
• Does your pet stay unstressed while moving through groups of people?
• How do your pets respond to other animals?
• How does your pet respond to new environments?
• How does your pet respond to unusual equipment (large trucks, mobility equipment, etc.)?
• How does your pet respond to unusual noises (beeps, loud noise, etc.)?
• How does your pet respond to meeting strangers under the age of 10?
• How does your pet respond to meeting strangers over the age of 70?
• How does your pet respond to meeting strangers of different genders?
• How does your pet respond to meeting strangers of different racial backgrounds?
• How does your pet respond to meeting strangers in uniform (scrubs, police, firefighters, etc.)?
• How does your pet respond to strangers with varying abilities (mobility issues, Autism Spectrum Disorder, etc.)?
• How does your pet do traveling in the car?

For dogs only:

• Does your dog follow the sit cue consistently, occasionally, or rarely?
• Does your dog follow the down cue consistently, occasionally, or rarely?
• Does your dog follow the stay cue consistently, occasionally, or rarely?
• Does your dog follow the heel cue consistently, occasionally, or rarely?
• Does your dog follow the leave it cue consistently, occasionally, or rarely?
• Does your dog follow cues for sitting with distractions?
• Does your dog follow cues for down with distractions?
• Does your dog follow cues for stay with distractions?
• Does your dog follow cues for heel with distractions?
• Does my dog walk nicely on leash (loose leash walking)?
• How does your dog react to other dogs? Do they have different reactions to dogs of different sizes?

For cats only:

• Does your cat walk on a harness?
• Does your cat follow cues for stay?
• How does your cat do in a carrier?
• How does your cat respond to handling (i.e. picked up and moved)?

You:

• How comfortable are you talking to strangers?
• How comfortable are you going into new environments?
• Can you commit to at least 1 hour a month of volunteering?