Bizz Buzz #4

I have talked a lot about how animals have helped humans and the therapy they are capable of contributing. This article will go into how this is all possible through volunteers and their animals. I will be specifically focused on American Humane Association, they specialize in Animal Assisted Therapy, Humane Education, and Training and Behavioral problems for animals. Their programs include Service for the Community, Handler Training, Team Evaluation, Practitioner Training and TASK Program. They offer help in Veterans Homes, Hospitals, Education and long term care. 

 Some examples of how these animals help people. Handlers may take their certified cat to an old folks home, people there really enjoy these animals' company. They don't ever go anywhere and some of them may have had to leave their animals upon admittance to the nursing home. Peter Lopatin wrote an article just about animals and nursing homes, he said that animals put the "home" back into nursing homes. This kinda gives a picture as to how important these animals are to elderly people. There are countless situations where these animals are used, another place would be a children's hospitals. Most of these kids are to weak to interact normally and having a soft cat to play with for a while really brings their spirits up.


They are in need of volunteers who own gentle animals to join their team, but they don't let anybody join. These individuals and their animals must be qualified and pass all the screenings and evaluations. Following are the qualifications for this volunteer opportunity:

• Expected Behavior Checklist, this is used to determine the animals readiness to become a therapy animal.
• Complete the handler training course, this ensures the owner has the knowledge required. This is a 2 day training course and is required.
• Pass the team evaluation, this check to see if the animal has what it takes to provide therapy. For example, they have to make sure the dog is not aggressive, it has patience,and is affectionate towards strangers.
• Complete registration, this simply entails making everything official.  

 Once all these things have been passed, they are ready to officially join the team and begin volunteer work. A mandatory requirement is that when volunteering they must always have current health certification papers and vaccination records. This is a big deal for this society due to the possible safety risks of sick or elderly people being around these animals. Overall, these volunteers find their life very satisfying knowing that they are helping other people on a daily basis. There is nothing like being able to make someone smile. "A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life's worthwhile." ~ Author Unkown


Question: Would you rather live your whole life pleasing yourself? Or would you rather take that time to make someones day worth living?
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American Humane Association URL:  http://www.americanhumane.org/interaction/programs/animal-assisted-therapy/about/