Many individuals love their animal companions and gain so much pleasure from this relationship. Some feel that they want to share the joy and love of their animal companions with others. PAT’s role is to help facilitate this process. Our application process is as follows: [to be reflected in a flow diagram]
Make an Application
Download, read, and complete the application forms (see below). Application forms ask for basic information regarding the volunteer and their animal companion. The application requests a certificate from your veterinary professional to confirm that your animal companion is fit and has no health problems that would negatively impact him/her as a PAT visiting dog/cat. A copy of the vaccination record must be provided.
Important Considerations
- Dogs/cats must be a minimum of 18 months and maximum of 10 years of age at the time of joining.
- Dogs/cats must have been with volunteers for at least 6 months.
- Only one dog/cat is allowed per volunteer per visit.
- Dogs/cats must enjoy social interaction with people.
- Dogs/cats must be free from internal and external parasites.
- Dogs/cats must have vaccinations up to date.
Frequently Asked Questions
PAT Application Pack – Friends of PAT
The Therapy Dog Bill of Rights
Mentorship Visits
Prospective volunteers attend a minimum of two mentorship visits with experienced PAT volunteers to get the “feel” of these visits. Please contact one of the mentors in your area, on the list supplied.
Mentorship List
Behavioural Assessment
Once mentorship visits are completed. PAT will arrange a behavioural assessment for your animal companion. Our role as an NPO is to provide a formal assessment to see if dogs/cats have the qualities necessary to visit these sites, for which they receive site-specific permission. There is no specific training for dogs/cats who are a part of PAT, however, basic obedience such as canine good citizenship, is beneficial. We also consider the animal companion’s temperament and their interest in partaking in this type of activity.
Volunteer Registration
Once the volunteer team has provided the relevant documentation and successfully passed their assessment, arrangements are made to connect the new team to a suitable institution and provide support during the initial visits. The team is then left to visit according to the arrangement set up between the team and the institution. Area coordinators and the EXCO provide ongoing support.
New and active visiting volunteers are required to pay an annual membership fee, as noted on the application form, as per our public liability insurance. Each approved volunteer team is covered by our public liability insurance while engaging in PAT visits.