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18 people are interested
Pet Therapy Volunteers
ORGANIZATION: PAWS of CNY, Inc.
Please visit the new page to apply.
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18 people are interested
PAWS of CNY, Inc. welcomes all domesticated dogs and cats that meet our eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria. If you are interested in becoming a PAWS of CNY certified volunteer team with your pet, you will need to complete the following steps:
1. Application - Please complete a volunteer application and return it along with the required health and vaccine records for your pet to PAWS of CNY. We will review your application and if you and your pet meet our initial requirements, we will contact you to begin the certification process.
Click here to learn more about the application process.
2. Certification -The certification process includes both an initial evaluation and a facility evaluation:
Initial evaluation - You and your pet must pass an initial evaluation test for our certified evaluators. If you pass the initial evaluation you must attend the next monthly New Volunteer Orientation meeting in which you and other evaluated volunteers will meet with a member of the Board of Directors to learn more about the requirements and expectations of our volunteers.
Facility evaluation - At the New Volunteer Orientation meeting you will be assigned to a nursing home or assisted living facility in which you will complete the facility evaluation process over a series of three months. If you and your pet pass the facility evaluation you will have passed the complete certification process and will receive a PAWS of CNY certificate and a bandanna for your pet to wear at facility visits and events moving forward.
Click here to learn more about the certification process.
Training - If your pet does not pass the initial evaluation or the facility evaluation, or if you feel that your pet could benefit from some basic obedience training in order to prepare for the initial evaluation, PAWS of CNY offers training classes to help you and your pet complete the certification process.
Click here to learn more about the available training classes.
More opportunities with PAWS of CNY, Inc.
No additional volunteer opportunities at this time.
About PAWS of CNY, Inc.
Location:
PO BOX 2222, SYRACUSE, NY 13220, US
Mission Statement
PAWS of CNY, Inc. (formerly Sunshine Friends, Inc.) provides pet-assisted wellness services to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, colleges and universities, libraries, airport travelers, and community partners in Onondaga, Oswego, Cortland, Madison, and Cayuga Counties. We welcome members of the community with domesticated, well-mannered, and well-behaved dogs and cats to apply for pet therapy certification. Certified teams may participate in our pet therapy programs and visit members of the community in need of comfort during assigned visits.
Description
Our History
Three volunteers founded Sunshine Friends in 1998. At that time a total of 10 volunteers were visiting with the newly formed organization at 4 different facilities in Syracuse. In February of 1999 Sunshine Friends became Sunshine Friends Incorporated and later gained status as a charitable, not-for-profit organization.
2000 was a year of expansion. Sunshine Friends volunteers were accepted into University Hospital in Syracuse as the sole providers of animal assisted activities in the Pediatric and Psychiatric Departments. Sunshine Friends also began providing animal assisted therapy to the hospital’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. In addition to the hospital programs, Sunshine Friends gained many new volunteers which enabled the organization to expand services to even more assisted-living facilities in Central New York.
In January of 2004, Sunshine Friends, Inc. implemented the SFI Pet Therapy Certification, an extensive evaluation and education procedure specific to our therapeutic pet programs.
In 2013, Sunshine Friends, Inc. changed the name of their organization to PAWS of CNY, Inc. to more accurately describe the expanded role of the organization as a provider of Pet Assisted Wellness Services throughout Central New York.
CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
P.O. Box 6936Syracuse, NY 13210
DATE POSTED
June 25, 2018
SKILLS
- Child Welfare
- Elder care
- Animal Therapy
- Administrative Support
- Youth Services
- Community Outreach
GOOD FOR
- Teens
- People 55+
REQUIREMENTS
- Must be at least 13
- Orientation or Training
- Minimum one hour per month.
- Dogs and cats and their human handlers must pass the pet therapy certification process.