Post Profile: Local Pets Provide Canine Companionship

On a cold and wet Friday morning the senior citizens participating in the Sarah Care adult day program are inside warming up to some friendly furry creatures. Each first Friday of the month, the Perimeter Pet Pals, bring in their animals to provide the seniors with some companionship and “pet therapy.”

Christine Barnes, pet evaluator and volunteer, says this unique program provides seniors with physical activity and a fun diversion they might otherwise miss out on.

“Statistically, people with pets are in better health,” said Barnes. “Being around animals helps lift you and these animals are amazingly helpful to the people we see. These animals provide a loving hand.”

Amie Kirk, activities director for Sara Care in Johns Creek said that many of their participants have arthritis or other physical disabilities and are limited in their physical activities.

“The animals provide them with some physical activity through petting the dogs, or brushing their hair, it is providing them with some physical stimulation,” Kirk said.

Each month the Pet Pals team brings five to 10 dogs and cats to establishments like Sarah Care in Johns Creek. The animals act as therapeutic companions, helping evoke memories of pets long gone, providing comfort and helping increase physical activity.
The animals are certified through the Delta Society, an organization whose mission is to promote human health through service and therapy animals. The non-profit organization based out of Seattle has been introducing trained animals to people with mental and physical disabilities since the mid 1970’s.

The Pals also visit hospitals, where Barnes said the animals provide therapy for stroke victims who are limited in their motor skills.

“They can still pet the animals, the smaller dogs or cats can sit in their laps. It gets them moving,” Barnes said.

Beyond physical activity, the program also provides seniors with comfort and fond memories of their own pets.

“A lot of these people don’t have their animals anymore, we come in and bring our animals and it evokes memories of the past,” Barnes said.

Kirk said the seniors at Sarah Care enjoy the socialization of the animals.

“Even patients with Alzheimer’s of dementia can relate to the pets,” she said. “It is good for them because they remember their own pets and reminisce about the pets they used to have.”

Kirk said that the visits from the animals have become a group favorite with families shifting doctors’ appointments so that Sarah Care participants do not miss the monthly visit.

“It has been a great experience, to see this group come in and volunteer their time,” she said.

Barnes said she became involved in Perimeter Pet Pals because it was a concept she had never seen before. She saw an ad online to become a state certified pet therapy trainer eight years ago. After a brief training period Barnes became certified to test and train dogs to assist in a therapeutic setting like hospitals and daycares.

“It has been amazing. In the past eight years we have had 100 volunteers and visited thousands of people,” Barnes said.

The animal certification process requires each animal be at least one year in age, and have the ability to sit, stay and lay. The 15-minute certification test costs $20, with all of the funds going into volunteer efforts.

Barnes said that volunteers have included entire families, with children as young as four becoming involved.

“This is something anyone who loves animals could participate in, and it is very rewarding,” she said.

For more information on Perimeter Pet Pals or to have a dog tested for certification, email Barens at christinecbarnes@comcast.net.

The Delta Society also trains animals for “animal assisted therapy.” A licensed professional, such as physical therapists or social worker might incorporate pets in the work already being done.