Bellevue, WA, April 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization in registering therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions, is proud to announce the eighth annual National Therapy Animal Day on April 30, 2022. National Therapy Animal Day was created by Pet Partners to recognize all of the exceptional therapy animals who partner with their human companions to bring comfort, joy, and healing to those in need. Therapy animals and their human partners help people of all ages in a variety of settings including hospitals, veterans’ facilities, schools, assisted living facilities, and after crisis events.
As we embrace brighter days ahead while we work to move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, Pet Partners continues to celebrate our registered therapy animal teams that remain dedicated to serving their communities by providing vital therapy animal visits to those in need. While a majority of Pet Partners therapy animals are dogs, the Therapy Animal Program is open to cats, equines, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds, miniature pigs, and llamas and alpacas. Therapy animals of all species play an important role in bringing the healing benefits of animals to their communities.
“It is an honor to recognize our hardworking therapy animal teams today, and every day, who bring positivity and joy to their communities and help to improve lives through the benefits of animals,” said C. Annie Peters, President & CEO of Pet Partners. “Therapy animals and their human handlers help people of all ages experience the incredible benefits of the human-animal bond.”
On National Therapy Animal Day, communities everywhere can do the following:
- Recognize and honor therapy animals.
- Raise awareness and educate the public about the role therapy animals play in enhancing the health and well-being of humans.
- Honor the thousands of dedicated handlers (the human members of therapy animal teams) who volunteer their time and compassion during visits.
Many of our supporters and volunteers have been working to have their local officials proclaim April 30 National Therapy Animal Day in their communities. To date, nearly 40 local and state governments have announced proclamations, including Cobb County, GA; the city of Phoenix, AZ; and the state of Texas, among other communities.
In addition to requesting proclamations, people are encouraged to show their support for National Therapy Animal Day on social media by following Pet Partners, sharing photos and stories, and joining the conversation using the hashtag #NationalTherapyAnimalDay. Everyone can celebrate by sharing the impact animals have had on their lives and in their communities. To learn more about Pet Partners and National Therapy Animal Day, visit www.petpartners.org/ntad.
About Pet Partners
Pet Partners is the national leader in demonstrating and promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities, and education. Since the organization’s inception in 1977, the science proving these benefits has become indisputable. With thousands of registered teams making millions of visits annually, Pet Partners serves as the nation’s most diverse and respected nonprofit registering handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams. Pet Partners teams visit with patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, seniors living with Alzheimer’s, students, veterans with PTSD, people who have experienced crisis events, and those approaching end of life, with the goal of improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond. With the release of its Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Interventions and international expansion, Pet Partners is globally recognized as the industry gold standard. For more information on Pet Partners, visit www.petpartners.org.
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