The Pet Visit Program features the comfort and companionship of dogs, cats, or other friendly pets to patients and their families in their own homes or senior living facilities.
All pet companions are volunteers who are “interviewed” by Arbor Hospice to ensure they have good demeanor, enjoy being around people, are comfortable with strangers and likes being touched. While they do not need to be certified therapy animals, they must be at least 1-year-old and current on vaccinations.
In addition, all companion pets must be accompanied by their “humans” – a volunteer who has completed Arbor Hospice’s orientation program. This helps prospective volunteers learn more about the organization, the principles of hospice, the grieving process and how to help patients, their families and Arbor Hospice staff.
Arbor Hospice is always looking to grow its network of friendly pet visitors. Please contact Alana Knoppow at aknoppow@arborhospice.org