Nonpro t
BY KAROLINE PFEIL
The nonpro t sends volunteers and their dogs to visit hospitals, schools and more.
Visits from Therapy Pet Pals’ dogs may provide mental health bene ts for those in care facilities.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THERAPY PET PALS OF TEXAS
Therapy Pet Pals of Texas o ers pet visits for elderly While sharing the company of a dog or cat may seem like an ordinary day-to-day experience for most pet owners, it may o er notable mental health bene ts for more isolated individuals stay- ing at nursing homes or long-term care facilities. at nursing homes, hospitals ... schools, all kinds of things,” Executive Director Nancy Gray said. The bene ts Pet visitations o ered by volunteers and their
The nonpro t is led by Executive Director Nancy Gray.
therapy dogs can provide a positive bonding expe- rience for those con ned to institutional living facilities, according to the nonpro t’s website. “The residents just know when you’re coming. They remember the dog’s name, not always yours. It’s all about the dogs for us,” Gray said. What else? The nonpro t’s goal moving forward is to increase its number of volunteers, Gray said, who can sign up through the organization’s website.
In order to promote these bene ts, Therapy Pet Pals of Texas was founded in Austin in 1984 by Kathryn Lashmit, and has been o ering pet visitations to the elderly and in rm ever since. The overview Therapy Pet Pals of Texas is a private nonpro t created with the goal of assisting the elderly, ter- minally ill and mentally or physically challenged through pet visitations. “Our volunteers take their dogs to visit people
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