Pet Therapy
Furry friends bring smiles.
You and your best friend can become part of our Pet Connections program. Join our menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits and miniature horses!
A great therapy animal is friendly, confident, calm and likes visiting people. Dogs should be controllable on a leash, welcoming to strangers, non-aggressive with other dogs and have basic obedience skills. All pet teams must be evaluated and registered with a national pet therapy organization. We can assist you in navigating the registration process. Teams also are required to complete a comprehensive training program.
Pet therapy teams typically visit with patients from one to two hours per week in many different settings: skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, group homes, patients’ private homes, and inpatient hospice homes.
We have 45 Pet Connections Teams! To find out more, call (602) 636-6336.
Breed:
Golden Retriever
My Human Partner:
Karen Davis
I've been an HOV Volunteer since:
2022
My interests, hobbies & talents:
Flipping railroad ties, chasing lizards, walking and swimming.
My work at HOV:
I like going to different places and meeting new people. Sometimes I even get treats on my visits.
Breed:
Standard Poodle
My Human Partner:
Virginia Ray Long
I've been an HOV Volunteer since:
2021
My interests, hobbies & talents:
I was born in Snowflake, Arizona with many brothers and sisters. I’m sure I got the best forever home. I love my stuffed animals which I keep in my toy box when I’m not carrying them around and leaving them in special places. I love to sit in our front courtyard and greet neighbors as they go to and from work. Our parents have taught us to stay in the yard or driveway and everyone is always surprised how well we stay close to the house. I have lots of dog friends that say "hello" also. Above all however, my absolute favorite thing is to see if there are any treats on the kitchen counters when my humans leave us alone in the house. Bread is my favorite. Once I found a whole bag of hotdog buns – they were great, though my humans were not too happy about it for some reason.
My work at HOV:
I have a brother, Louie who has taught me so many things including being a therapy dog. Since he was a therapy dog for Hospice of the Valley first, he told me how much happiness it brings to do this job…making people smile is so great. The best part is all the hugs and kisses and petting I get. I love to snuggle up to people and that gets me lots of attention. It is a very important job – to look good, behave, and make people smile!