Pay it Forward: Volunteering in the City with your Pooch

If you're like most dog owners, you love when people want to ask you about your pride-and-joy, when they ask to pet him or her, when they comment on how cute he or she is, etc. etc. And if you're not a dog owner – but are a dog lover – you likely would love the opportunity to hang with a furry friend once in a while. Either way, animal-assisted therapy volunteering is a great way to go.

The San Francisco SPCA has the oldest animal-assisted program – it started in 1981 – and has more than 100 volunteer teams that visit locations throughout San Francisco.  Working with their own friendly dogs, cats, small animals and birds, they share the human-companion animal bond with more than 40,000 people annually. That's a lot of happy, doggie-loved people!

There are two programs you could be involved in – or take advantage of – the Animal Assisted Therapy department which offers broader animal-assisted choices for places like retirement homes, shut-ins, those facing hospitalization, etc. They also operate the Puppy Dog Tales Reading Program which brings the benefits of the human-companion animal bond to young readers.  This program operates in select San Francisco Public Libraries and San Francisco Unified Schools to improve literacy, and engender a love of reading in children whose first language is not English, those with learning disabilities, and remedial readers.

If you'd like to take your furry friend along for a volunteering ride, call 415.554.3060 or email AAT@sfspca.org to request an application. 

Flickr Photo Credits: Gwinnett County Public Library, Army.mil

Posted: March 23, 2009