Pet Therapy / Pet-Assisted Therapy is a layman's term for Animal-Assisted Therapy and Animal-Assisted Activities. What's the difference?
ANIMAL-ASSISTED ACTIVITIES (AAA)
Volunteers take their pets to visit care facilities, schools or librares for the purpose of being petted, read to, and socializing with students, patients, residents and clients.
Formal AAA Definition: "Animal-Assisted Activities provide opportunities for motivational, educational, and/or recreational benefits to enhance quality of life. AAA are delivered in a variety of environments by a specially trained professional, paraprofessional, and/or volunteer in association with animals that meet specific criteria."
ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY (AAT)
Health care professionals or certified therapists use their animal, or work in partnership with a volunteer and the volunteer's pet, as a treatment modality where individualized treatment plans are performed with specific, documented goals for a patient.
Formal AAT Definition: "Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is goal oriented, documented, and supervised by health care and education professionals. AAT is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning. AAT is provided in a variety of settings and may be group or individual in nature."
Medical studies have proven that therapy animals improve wellness and promotes improvement in physical, social, emotional and/or cognitive functioning (thinking and intellectual skills). The benefits extend to all ages (children to the elderly), including patients/residents recovering from comas, rehabilitating from surgery, trauma, illness, brain injuries, physical and mental disabilities, depression, aging and hospice.
Every animal has a unique personality and disposition. Some animals require a unique trainer, with a wide range of experience and a wealth of knowledge. Whether you want to train a young animal, or an older animal, you need expert guidance to effectively train your animal. If you love your animal, you can count on FriendlyTails
® to train with love and compassion.
In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal "individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability."
Service animals have specific training related to their partner's disability: sight or hearing impairment, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis and more. They perform tasks such as guiding for vision impairment, signaling for hearing impaired, rescue work, turning lights on and off, opening doors, pulling a wheelchair, and retrieving items that are out of reach. They provide their partners the freedom and confidence to lead more independent lives. Typically, these animals have anywhere from 90-120 commands to assist people with various disabilities.
ARE SERVICE ANIMALS AND THERAPY ANIMALS THE SAME?
Service animals are NOT therapy animals. Therapy animals are pets trained for patients' comfort and to be utilized in a therapy or clinical setting. Their handlers encourage you to pet the therapy dogs and often wear a patch reading "Ask to Pet Me, I'm Friendly!" Therapy animals ARE NOT allowed in public establishments whereas service animals ARE allowed in any place that serves the public.
Service animals are NOT pets! They have a job and have important tasks to perform. The general public needs to understand that you should NEVER go up to a service animal to pet or touch them. While they are very friendly and good natured, you could distract them from their job resulting in serious consequences for their partner.
Here are few rules for Service Animal Etiquette:
· Do not pet or touch a service animal.
Petting a service animal when it is working distracts the animal from the task at hand.
· Do not deliberately startle a service animal.
· Do not feed a service animal. The animal may have specific dietary requirements.
Unusual food or food at unexpected times may cause the animal to become ill.
· Avoid initiating conversations about the student’s disability or the service animal.
All disabilities are not visible. Be aware that some people do not like to discuss their disability.
· A person with a disability who uses a service animal is called a partner/owner.
- Dogs
- Cats
- Rabbits (bunnies)
- Guinea pigs
- Hamsters
- Parrots
- Farm Animals
- chickens
- ducks
- miniature horses
- pot-bellied pigs
- miniature goats
- llamas
- miniature donkeys
Facilities visited by AAT/AAA volunteers and professionals:
- Hospitals
- Adult Day Care
- Rehabilitation Centers
- Group Homes
- Alzheimer Care
- Long-term Convalescent Facilities (Nursing Homes)
- Assisted-Living Centers
- Hospice
- Centers for disabled children and adults
- Home health care
- Mental Health Programs
- Youth Programs
- Schools
- Libraries
- Health Fairs
- Summer Camp
- Camps for children with disabilities
- Shelters for the homeless and domestic violence
Humane Animal Education:
We offer humane animal education to schools and special interest groups. Contact us to schedule your visit with us!
EMAIL: contact@friendlytails.net
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PET THERAPY
ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY & ACTIVITIES
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You can participate in pet therapy whether you are a stay or work-at-home mother or father, animal lover, animal activist, professional trainer of dogs , cats, horses or another type of animal, a health care professional (clinician, nurse, therapist, physician, veterinarian, etc.), teacher, student, working professional or retiree. Anyone who can make some time to volunteer with an animal can participate as long as they have the proper training, evaluation and certification. It's easier than you think. Even if you love animals and don't have one, there are ways to get involved (starting with animal rescue and fostering).
