People Animals Love

TO CREATE SOCIAL GOOD THROUGH THE HEALING BOND BETWEEN HUMANS AND ANIMALS.

IN PERSON ANIMAL-ASSISTED SUPPORT PROGRAM (IN-PERSON THERAPY TEAM VISITS): VOLUNTEERS AND THEIR DOGS, WHO ARE SCREENED, ASSESSED, TRAINED, AND CREDENTIALED AS PAL THERAPY DOG-HANDLER TEAMS, VISIT PEOPLE IN THE WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA TO PROMOTE THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING. ALL VISITS ARE PROVIDED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. MOST VISITS ARE WITH OLDER ADULTS, CHILDREN, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATIONS SUCH AS PEOPLE WHO ARE ILL, GRIEVING, UNHOUSED, INCARCERATED, OR SOCIALLY ISOLATED AND LONELY. THERAPY TEAMS ALSO HELP "THE HELPERS" BY SUPPORTING FRONTLINE WORKERS SUCH AS HEALTHCARE AND HOSPICE STAFF; TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS; POLICE OFFICERS; VETERANS; AND FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS OF THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR AT THE END OF LIFE. OUR "READ TO A DOG" VISITS IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES HELP CHILDREN BUILD THEIR READING SKILLS, CONFIDENCE, AND EMPATHY. IN 2022, MORE THAN 200 PAL TEAMS MADE MORE THAN 2,500 IMPACTFUL VISITS AT 282 DIFFERENT SITES. ON EACH OF THESE VISITS, PAL TEAMS MAY MEET WITH AS FEW AS ONE PERSON, OR AS MANY AS 50+ PEOPLE. BECAUSE THE EXACT NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT PAL TEAMS VISIT WITH CANNOT BE ACCURATELY TRACKED, PAL ESTIMATES THAT IT BENEFITED MORE THAN 20,000 INDIVIDUALS AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM IN 2022.

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL VIRTUAL VISITATION PROGRAM: CONCEPTION AND PLANNING WORK FOR THIS PROGRAM BEGAN IN 2021 AND CONTINUES IN 2022. STILL IN THE FEASABILITY ASSESSMENT PHASE, THIS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE ON SCREEN VISITS BY PAL VOLUNTEER HANDLING TEAMS WITH HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN. THIS PROGRAM IS BEING CREATED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SEVERAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS, AND WILL EVENTUALLY BE PROVIDED TO ALL CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS AT NO COST TO THE HOSPITAL OR PATIENT.

VIRTUAL PAL VISITING PROGRAM: THIS PROGRAM RELIES ON VOLUNTEERS AND THEIR ANIMAL COMPANIONS (DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER ANIMAL SPECIES) TO PROVIDE PET THERAPY VISITS WITH PEOPLE PRIMARILY LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES. PAL OFFERS READING, MUSIC AND ART PROGRAMS WITH CHILDREN AND SENIORS TO ENCOURAGE CONNECTION, COMMUNICATIONS, GREATER SELF-ESTEEM AND THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY. POPULATIONS SERVED BY THIS PROGRAM IN 2022 WERE, BUT WERE NOT LIMITED TO, NEUROTYPICAL AND NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN, SOCIALLY ISOLATED SENIORS, ADULTS WITH MEMORY LOSS, CHILDREN IMPACTED BY BRAIN TUMORS, AND VETERANS WITH BRAIN INJURIES. THERE IS NEVER A CHARGE OR A FEE TO THE RECIPIENTS OF THESE (OR ANY) PAL SERVICES. PAL TEAMS SPENT APPROXIMATELY 1,760 HOURS VISITING ON-SCREEN, WHICH EQUATE TO APPROXIMATELY 2,000 INDIVIDUALS BENEFITED BY THIS PROGRAM DURING THE YEAR.