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Twenty
years of PAT Dogs
For
the last 20 years Pets As Therapy have been very quietly making
a huge impact in the community by their volunteers visiting
Hospitals, Hospices, Residential Homes, Day Care Centres, Special
Needs schools etc. with dogs.
Robert Killick recently wrote in Our Dogs: "PAT dogs must
be the most powerful promotional tool to extol the value of
dogs in the community. Just imagine hundreds of dogs of all
breeds including mongrels, visiting the old and infirm in hospitals
and hospices; they deserve every support we can offer."
In this twentieth anniversary year of Pets As Therapy we would
like to launch a special Fund raising Campaign. In the current
financial climate, funding is increasingly difficult. Pets As
Therapy would be very grateful for any help you can give.
Facts about Pets As Therapy -
Take the three initials from Pets As Therapy and you get the
word PAT. That is why the dogs are called PAT dogs.
Over 100,000 patients every single week benefit from the work
of Pets As Therapy.
Any dog can become a PAT dog as long as it has been with its
owner for at least six months and can pass the necessary temperament
assessment.
Since its inception some 15,000 dogs have been registered and
more recently approx 60 cats. Every year some of these retire
through age or ill health therefore new recruits are always
needed.
There is a waiting list of establishments wanting PAT dogs to
visit; however at present in some areas of the U.K. there is
a need for many more PAT dogs to be registered.
Over 90 Area Co-ordinators look after volunteers in their own
areas as well as organising social and fun events. n Temperament
assessments are undertaken by a team of people throughout the
U.K. who have all taken an accredited course run by Pets As
Therapy.
Pets As Therapy volunteers are all covered by the special £5million
public liability insurance whilst visiting establishments.
All PAT dogs wear a special I.D. disc on their collar. Their
owners also wear a special photo I.D. badge whilst on visits.
Most PAT dog owners make one visit a week, of between one and
two hours, although some volunteers do more. Volunteers generously
give their time so it is really up to them to decide how much
they can spare, and when.
Whilst the lives of thousands of people are improved regularly
by Pets As Therapy, the whole charity is run by just five staff.
It is their role to provide help and advice to the volunteer
force, to encourage recruitment and to develop the reach, value
and effectiveness of the charity's service. The average cost
of this is £75 p.a. per volunteer of which up to £20
is generously met by subscription from the volunteers themselves.
Responsibility for the Charity's performance is carried by a
Board of unremunerated trustees.
* In the year 2001 Pets As Therapy were one of the charities
chosen for the GMTV's Get Up & Give Appeal. In 2002 Pets
As Therapy were named as the 'Charity of the Year' at the Golden
Bone Awards and they were recently the recipient of the BKR
Haines Watts Award for 'Innovation in non-clinical areas of
NHS Trusts'.
No matter what breed you own you must acknowledge that PAT dogs
are great ambassadors.
How can you help?
Please send a donation?
No matter how small - it will help. Please make any cheques
payable to Pets As Therapy, P.O. Box 11, Stanley, Co. Durham.
DH9 7YZ.
Become a 'Friend of Pets As Therapy'.
Friends of Pets As Therapy are people who are sympathetic to
the charity including those pet lovers whose pets are not suitable
to become visiting PAT dogs, or maybe people who do not own
a pet but who would like to support the work of Pets As Therapy.
Anyone can join.
All 'Friends' pay an initial membership fee of £10 and
a monthly subscription of £2.
A 'Life Friend' will pay a one off subscription of £200.
Register your dog as a PAT dog.
For registration forms please send a s.a.e. to - (insert either
Lena's address or Northern Office address)
Give as you Earn
If you are on a payroll you can ask your employers for a specified
donation (maybe as little as £1) to be deducted monthly
from your earnings. You can then give a letter to your employers
saying "If you are not already registered with the Charities
Aid Foundation (CAF - Tel. 01732-520019) as a donor organisation
in its Give As You Earn (GAYE) scheme, please do register. Then,
as from (selected date) until further notice, deduct from each
monthly payment of my earnings before tax the sum of (amount
specified) and send it to CAF to be credited t the account of
Pets As Therapy (registered charity no 803637)."
Legacies
Just as a Will brings security to your family's future, a legacy
could help secure the future of Pets As Therapy and help continue
the beneficial service provided to over 100,000 patients in
hospitals, hospices, residential homes, special needs schools
etc. every week. A Will allows you to make a donation to a charity
of your choice. Leaving a donation to Pets As Therapy gives
you a lasting memorial by helping to bring joy into the lives
of others. If you would like a copy of the Pets As Therapy legacy
leaflet please contact - Pets As Therapy 01207-236040.
Money Box Appeal
Would you be willing to save 20p's in a special Pets As Therapy
money box?
If you save 20p a week in one of our special money boxes at
the end of the year you will have raised over £10 which
really can help. For your FREE money box please contact Kate
Swinhoe, tel. 01873-851313.
These are just a few ways in which you can help this worthwhile
charity. If you have any other ideas why not let us know.
To most of us interacting with animals is a very important part
of our lives. They cheer us and give us comfort when we are
depressed, keep us healthy and active, make us laugh and generally
improve our quality of life. Imagine then the pain of being
denied access to the animals we all love so much.
In a residential home for the elderly, Jean sits by the door
every Saturday morning waiting for her friend, the PAT dog to
arrive. When the door opens Jean shouts with joy "Here's
my ray of sunshine, she's my reason for staying alive".
This is a major support campaign for Pets As Therapy - please
send any donations made payable to Pets As Therapy to: Pets
As Therapy, P.O. Box 11, Stanley Co. Durham. Or if you wish
to help in any other way contact Maureen Hennis on 01207 - 236040.
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