Ways to Volunteer

Pet Partners® Team

Paws for People - dogs in chairDo you have a pet that would be great at therapeutic animal visitation? Train your animal companion and have him or her evaluated in order to be part of a Pet Partners® Team. You may also participate with an animal that you have a bond with that is owned by a friend or relative. Once you and your companion have been evaluated and registered as a Pet Partners Team, there are many opportunities for visitation:

  • Hospice
  • Hospitals
  • Nursing Homes
  • READ Program
  • Adolescent Facilities

We will help match you to a site that both you and your companion enjoy visiting!

Even if you don’t have an animal companion that is right for visitation, you can still volunteer and help in a variety of ways:

  1. You can participate in a Partners Team training course even without an animal companion. After completion of the course, you can assist new teams on their initial visits to a facility or help set up programs in facilities.
  2. You can volunteer at a Pet Partners Team evaluation. Evaluations are offered six times per year at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. As part of the volunteer team, you can help to assess potential Pet Partner teams. Five to six volunteers are needed at each evaluation.
  3. Tufts Paws for People participates in a variety of local events that help to raise awareness about our program and animal assisted activities, such as Cummings School Open House, Pet Rock Festival and Waters Farm Fall Festival. We can always use help at these events to spread the word about our program.

For more information about volunteering, please contact the Tufts Paws for People Program.