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What We Do
Animal Assisted Activities (AAA)
Animal Assisted Activities are educational, entertaining, and
motivating activities delivered by specially trained and certified volunteers and their animals who have met specific
criteria to be designated as registered Delta Society© Pet Partner© teams.
Healing Paws Therapy Pets members are registered Delta Society Pet Partners. The Delta Society's Pet Partners program
prepares volunteer handlers and their animals to visit and interact with clients in a variety of settings. Animal
assisted activities generally refers to the ‘meet and greet' visiting in which a registered Delta Society Pet Partners
team visits patients in hospitals or other institutions, providing patients with the opportunity to socialize with
a friendly animal.
Typical Animal Assisted Activities may be visits to schools,
one-to-one visits with patients and residents in healthcare facilities, or entertaining "shows". Animal
Assisted Activities are not necessarily "goal driven", but are significantly therapeutic in nature. |
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Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)
Animal assisted therapy is the deliberate and systematic employment
of animals in a professional care plan, with defined treatment goals.
Some people who can benefit from canine assisted activities and therapy include nursing home residents, prison
inmates, hospice clients and their families, special education students, autistic individuals, and both acute care
and rehabilitation hospital patients.
Animal assisted therapy has been used as a treatment modality in numerous disciplines including social work, counseling,
occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, recreation therapy, education and nursing.
Animal Assisted Therapy is goal-directed intervention in which a therapy animal is an integral part of the clinical
treatment process. AAT is directed by healthcare or human services professionals, such as Occupational/Physical/Speech
Therapists, Counselors, Psychologists, Social Workers, and other healthcare or human services professionals.
AAT is provided in group sessions, one-to-one visits, or co-therapy sessions. AAT visit outcomes are documented
by the healthcare or human services professional. AAT providers may work under the direction of healthcare or human
services providers, or directly with therapists in client sessions. |
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Healing Paws Therapy Pets
Healing Paws Therapy Pets began in October 2003 when Jackie Crawford,
a licensed psychologist working at an area mental health center, organized a meeting for people interested in therapy
pet work. The initial meetings were sponsored by Kris Altenbernd of "The Paws Place" and supported by
several established dog groups, including the Red River North Dog Obedience Club, the Canine Academy and Fargo
Moorhead Kennel Club, and Precision Pet Styling. Since that initial meeting, Healing Paws has become an affiliate
club of Delta Society. With the tremendous popularity of therapy pet work, Healing Paws continues to grow yearly
in members, sites and sponsored activities. |
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