More Information About Pet Partners®
The Pet Partners program was established in the 1990’s by the Delta Society to ensure that "both ends of the leash," people as well as animals, were well-prepared to participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. Pet Partners® Therapy Animal Program is the only national registry that requires handler training and screening of animal-handler teams. ElderPet feels this handler training is paramount to providing quality pet visits and has become the Pet Partners representative in the NH Seacoast area.
The Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program also requires all teams to pass a skills and aptitude evaluation every two years to remain registered as a therapy animal, a practice recommended by both the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) as well as the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Animals and their handlers behaviors change over time.
Pet Partners recognizes that there are a wide variety of animals that can bring joy to people and registers all breeds of dogs with appropriate skills and aptitudes as well as eight other species including cats, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, miniature pigs, llamas and alpacas and even domesticated rats.
Once a team is registered with Pet Partners, they receive:
- $2M comprehensive general liability insurance
- Comprehensive continuing education including topics such as working with Veterans and clients with Alzheimer’s
- ID badge and pet tag
- Pet Partners Magazine
- Opportunities to showcase you and your pet as a team