Humane Society of Forsyth County
.
See pictures of our most recent
testing below.
Humane Hearts is a pet facilitated activity and therapy program designed to help people in care facilities reap the benefits of contact with friendly loving animals.
The Humane Hearts of the Humane Society of Forsyth County is made up of a group of trained volunteers with their pets, who visit assisted care and nursing homes, Alzheimer's care facilities, hospitals, special education classes in Forsyth County schools, and other care facilities in the community. We are also frequently asked to conduct educational programs in the schools to insure that students receive information on pet care and humane treatment of animals.
Goal: Humane Hearts' goal is to provide regular visits that enhance the physical and psychological well-being of those we visit.
Animals: The animals we use are our very own pets. Most of our pet/partner teams are made up of the volunteer and a dog, although we have had several cats, one rabbit, and several birds participate in Humane Hearts.
Training/Testing: A key aspect of Humane Hearts is the
training and selection standards. Only through training the volunteers and
carefully evaluating their pets can we assure top quality pet/partner teams.
Our pets must pass a health screening and must have up-to-date medical
forms from their veterinarian in our files. Each also goes through a
temperament, stability, and behavior test which emphasizes disposition
rather than obedience. Our volunteers are also asked to go on several
visits with visiting teams, without their pet to decide if the program is
indeed something that they can commit to. The volunteers also attend a workshop
to gather useful information about Pet Facilitated Therapy.
No pet is too big nor too small to be a therapy dog.
If
you are interested in finding out more about joining Humane Hearts, please
call Cheryl
Zander , Director, 678-860-8786 or email
Cheryl Zander.
If you believe that you and your pet would enjoy sharing your time and energy
with others, please let us know!
The visits: Volunteers are asked to visit at least
once a month, although some of our member/dog teams go on several visits
each month. The visits last an average of about 45 minutes.
Volunteers and their pets either visit with other teams or on their own,
depending on the location. After we return a few times, the people we
visit begin to bond with the animals and a relationship is developed. We are
currently visiting five facilities for the elderly, and 12 special education
classes in
Forsyth County public schools, and one girls' shelter.
History: Humane Hearts began visiting in our
community in 1994 after carefully researching similar groups throughout the
country. We began with six pet/partner teams and have grown to 29 teams.
Cost: A one time fee of $30.00 is requested
for mailing, and other routine costs. $10.00 of this
is dues for one year in the Humane Society of Forsyth County. If the
new volunteer is already a Humane Society member, the fee is $20.00.
Benefits: The benefits of pet assisted
activities/therapy are both psychological and physical. Although the
benefits are observed in many ways, they cannot be measured. The
animals
provoke smiles and conversation from lonely or depressed persons who miss their
home, their families, or pets they have left behind. Pet facilitated therapy is
an unselfish area of volunteer service!