Animal Therapy
The Tallahassee Memorial Animal Therapy Program is the only of its kind in the Big Bend and has been fostering the therapeutic bond between people and animals since 2005. The therapy teams provide mental health, motivational, recreational, education, rehabilitation, pain management and other therapeutic services to a wide variety of facilities throughout the Big Bend Region.
Our Animal Therapy teams visit hospital patients, rehabilitation centers, and many other places.
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Interested in becoming a trained animal therapy team? It is a rewarding experience.
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Animal Therapy Teams Training
All of our volunteer teams undergo specialized training in order to join our Animal Therapy program. The teams are trained according to the standards established by Pet Partners, the international sanctioning organization for more than 11,000 therapy teams worldwide. Each animal has passed Pet Partners’ nationally recognized skills/aptitude test and been examined by a veterinarian to ensure good health.
Currently, we have more than 150 teams visiting 50 different facilities around the Big Bend. Our therapy animals are mostly dogs, but we also have cats, miniature horses and even the nation’s only registered therapy mule.
These trained therapy teams work together with hospital departments or other community organizations to identify opportunities where animals can be used to improve patient outcomes. The teams are called upon to assist in physical rehabilitation, grief therapy, reading assistance or courtroom advocacy.
Visit our Services and Programs page to learn more about our programs throughout the community.
Contact Our Animal Therapy Program
For more information about the Tallahassee Memorial Animal Therapy, please contact our Program Manager, Stephanie Perkins, or our Assistant Program Coordinator, Heather Ashley, at 850-431-5352.
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