Animal Companion Therapy
Animal Rescue
HuMANE EDUCATION
A.C.T.™
Silver PAws
Adopt a Pet
Animal Samaritans believes in the healing power of animal-human connections. People have recognized this capacity for millenia. It’s part of the reason why our relationships with our animal friends are so meaningful to us. They are bonds as strong as family, and at Animal Samaritans, we honor them as such.
Because of this, AnSams created healing curricula that offer animal companionship as a form of treatment. These animal-assisted interventions are endorsed by human healthcare providers as cost-effective interventions for specific patient populations in these various facilities.
We bring specially trained animals to hospitals, group homes, correctional facilities, to senior homes and more. It’s some of our most important work.
For more information on ACT please email volunteer@animalsamaritans.org
About Animal Companion Therapy at Animal Samaritans
Volunteers and their companion animals visit the residents and patients of a variety of facilities, offering touching, petting, playing with and experiencing the unconditional affection of a pet.
Benefits of Animal Companion Therapy
Studies show animals, especially dogs, can have significant influence on mental and physical health in humans, particularly during times of stress, crisis, illness and loss. Being in the presence of an animal or petting an animal has a calming effect. Animal Samaritans has provided animal companion therapy in the Coachella Valley for more than 25 years.
Studies Show:
· Patients with hypertension have a decrease in blood pressure and so does the dog.
· There is a 37% drop in anxiety levels prior to a medical procedure when time is spent with a dog just before the procedure.
· Decreases in minor health problems are seen in those people who bring pets into their lives, and those who have pets, recover quicker from minor health problems.
· Sexually abused children respond well to pet therapy. They will talk to a dog when they won’t talk to an adult/therapist.
· Sexually abused adults recover quicker emotionally when pet therapy is added.
· Children with low reading skills improve significantly when they can read out loud to a dog. It is a non-threatening, supportive environment. No criticism from the dog builds confidence.
Types of Animal Companion Therapy
· Animal Companion Therapy (ACT): Qualified ACT dogs visit Nursing Homes, Assisted Living, Hospitals and many other types of facilities, helping patients feel at ease in a stressful setting.
· Reading Programs: Qualified ACT dogs visit schools and local libraries with a mission to improve children’s reading skills.
· Humane Education Presentations: Working with our Humane Educators to bring therapy dogs in to classrooms during presentations.
Meet our Animal Companion Therapy dogs!
See some of our volunteers in ACTion!
Our therapy dog team is always the most popular of all of our volunteers! I can’t tell you what an incredible resource you have been for our most valued resource, our hospice patient volunteers and their therapy dogs!!
KarenSo happy to have you back with us. Our residents look forward to seeing the little critters from our very worthwhile program. We LOVE the dogs and experience!
ElizabethMen have forgotten this truth, but must never forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.
Antoine de Saint-ExuperyMake a donation today
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Financial Stewardship
We know you have many choices when it comes to how to invest your philanthropic dollars, and Animal Samaritans takes seriously the stewardship of your investment in us.
The Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau recommends that nonprofits not spend more than 35 cents on the dollar of its budget on administration and fundraising.
At Animal Samaritans that number is, year over year, close to 10 cents on the dollar. That means the other 90 cents goes to our mission and our services.
That’s just one of the reasons that Animal Samaritans, for more than 4 decades, has been among Southern California’s most trusted animal welfare organizations.
pets. not profits
At our state-of-the-art veterinary clinics, we’re there to provide your animals with the highest quality care, not to make a profit.
Because of your support, we are expanding this mission to broader and more diverse communities.
12,000 Animals saved!
Our Adoption Alliance Rescue Program has saved the lives of more than 12,000 animals. And we’re just getting started. We work with the local shelters to place animals they do not have the resources or staff to handle. Thanks to donations like yours, we do!
Indio Clinic:
42150 B Jackson Street Ste 106
Indio, CA
92203
Hours of Operations:
Monday - Saturday
8:00AM-5:00PM
72307 Ramon Rd
Thousand Palms, CA
92276
