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Copyright

TheraPet, Inc.
P.O. Box 787
Clark, NJ 07066
(732)602-1112

 

HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION

TheraPet, Inc. began in 1988 in central New Jersey.  Two local women, Elaine Shoe and Ellen Mulligan, belonged to the same church, whose Pastor was Chaplain at the Old Soldiers’ Home in Menlo Park, NJ.   Elaine, who breeds Golden Retrievers, and Ellen, who raised Cocker Spaniels, asked if they could visit with their dogs.  At that time, there had begun to be some information available in the dog community about other people taking dogs into hospitals.  Elaine and Ellen thought this would be a great way to share the love of their pets while benefiting others.

Shortly after these first visits, the program blossomed into a group too large to continue under the sponsorship of the church.  It was then formally incorporated under the name TheraPet, Inc. For nearly 20 years, we have developed a thorough and exacting, but gentle method to screen new owners and pets.  We have opened our program to cats and to the occasional hermit crab, rabbit, or guinea pig.  We have organized ourselves to provide a Building Coordinator for each facility we visit, who is responsible for on-site orientation of each new volunteer team. 

We now have over 80 members across the state and currently visit more than 20 facilities around the state of New Jersey.   While most are geriatric nursing homes, we do visit other types of facilities such as a children’s facility in Ocean County and a head-injury unit in Middlesex County, with expansion planned into another children’s hospital in Middlesex County.  In addition, we have recently begun programs at battered women’s shelters, where we not only visit regularly, but also are on call to help new arrivals and their children to calm down, settle in, and begin the process of regaining stability.  Additionally, TheraPet provides staff in-service training and specially designed group visits to facilities and groups throughout the New Jersey area.

Residents always look forward to TheraPet visits.  Animal-Assisted therapy has been proven to lower blood pressure, calm agitation, and provide unconditional love and acceptance.  TheraPet visits can bring smiles where none have existed for years, can bring words to the lips of someone who had stopped talking, can bring movement to weakened arms and hands.  Volunteers uniformly feel that they take away more than they bring in good will and warm hearts.

Our requirements for volunteers are simple.  We are looking for owners and pets who are tolerant of strangers.  We are looking for pets that like being handled and are under the owner’s control.  We do not require obedience training or purebred animals.  The typical visit lasts one to two hours and takes place twice a month.

TheraPet always has a waiting list of facilities looking for our service.  What we lack are enough volunteers.  Joining TheraPet is easy.  We have a brief application form to be completed and submitted with a small screening fee, copies of vaccination records for the pet, and copies of the municipal license (if required by your town).  There is also a brief form to be completed and submitted by the veterinarian.  The volunteer is then contacted to schedule a screening appointment at one of the three Screening Nights for dogs held each year in Edison, NJ.  On occasion, screenings are held at another time and location, especially if there are several people wishing to visit in the same facility.  Cats are screened individually at the facility by an experienced handler.

Screening night consists of a ten-minute interview of the owner to determine motivation and degree of commitment.  At the same time, two experienced handlers, trainers, or vet technicians give the dog a gentle temperament test in another room.  The owner then takes the dog through the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test.  Lastly, we walk the dog past several set-ups of nursing home situations such as a person in a wheel chair, a narrow corridor, a loud and cranky resident, or food on the floor.  In each case, we are judging the pet’s reaction so we can provide training pointers to the owner.

The following month, we schedule the new volunteer team for a Training Night where experienced volunteers provide demonstrations and training sessions on pet therapy and the how-to’s of navigating in the unfamiliar institutional atmosphere.  Additionally, we provide an extensive training manual with information about the organization and details on the techniques and other training tips.   

In the meantime, the Building Coordinator has organized at least three orientation visits to the facility for the new volunteer team.  Once the Coordinator, volunteer, pet, and facility are comfortable, the volunteer can plan solo visits to suit his or her schedule as well as that of the facility.  We make every effort to assign the volunteer team to a facility near their home to minimize long commutes on visiting day.

TheraPet also provides the pet owner with opportunities to socialize the pet through monthly meetings, participation in events such as an Annual Pet Show or marching in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and by helping at education tables at community events.

TheraPet, Inc. is incorporated in New Jersey and is registered with the IRS as a non-profit organization, making donations tax deductible.  Further information about the organization and how to join is available by calling 732-602-1112 or on our website at www.therapet-inc.com.