During their time at NASH, students may have noticed some extra-friendly visitors to the buildings. Fuzzy, sweet, and four-legged, these are Animal Friends’ Therapets, and they’re here to help melt your worries away.

Animal Friends is an animal rescue, rehabilitation, care, and adoption service based in the Pittsburgh area. They have participated in various forms of animal-assisted therapy since the 1980s. 

Melissa Stammely-Park is the Therapeutic Programs Coordinator at Animal Friends.

“[Therapets] started without a formal program with shelter dogs being walked around the Strip District when we used to be located there, and businesses realized that the animal visits brought happiness to their staff and clients,” Stammely-Park said. “They began contacting the shelter to ask for shelter dog visits.”

After the organization and local businesses alike began to see the benefits the animals brought, a formal program, named PAT or Pet Assisted Therapy, was started. This program involved volunteers training their own dogs for therapy visits. Later, in 2014, the Therapets program as we know it today was started with the aim of bringing joy to people via animals.

The Therapets now visit locations all over Pittsburgh. Schools, retirement homes, businesses, and local event organizers can contact Animal Friends to have these fluffy companions present.

NASH school social worker Mrs. Tengowski was the first to bring the Therapets to particular classes at NASH. After seeing how successful the program was, Main Office secretary Ms. Leech pitched the idea of bringing the Therapets to the rest of the school. 

“Therapets provide many great benefits for students,” said Leech. “They are especially useful during challenging times like exams and transitions.”

The Therapets visit NASH about once a month during lunch periods, fostering a positive and caring environment for the students. Their presence also promotes empathy and kindness.

“There have been many studies over the years proving that our interactions with animals reduce our levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increase our production of oxytocin.” explained Stammely-Park. “Oxytocin is called the ‘love hormone’ because it is produced when we interact with our romantic partners as well as when parents gaze at their children. It makes us feel happy.”

The pets provide more than just stress relief, though. At the elementary level, students can practice reading to the animals, which aids in developing public speaking and reading comprehension skills. In special education classes, students learn how to care for the animals, which demonstrates skills they can carry with them and apply to the rest of their lives. 

Additionally, animals provide a refreshing reprieve from the concerns of social life. They never judge, and their positive demeanor promotes happiness.

It takes a special animal to be a Therapet, Stammely-Park said. Firstly, the animals must be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, examined, and in the case of dogs, properly licensed. 

Once documentation of all these things is confirmed, the Therapets team begins reviewing the new candidate animals and their handlers. 

“We look for good teamwork and communication between the two of them, humane treatment of their animals, and for the animals to really enjoy meeting new people and going to new places,” Stammely-Park said.

Once an animal and their owner have been given the green light, the animal completes a six-week training course. Their handler must pass a written exam. Once the training is complete, the final test is a mock visit with other Animal Friends volunteers standing in as patients.

The Therapets programs includes dogs, cats, and rabbits of all shapes and sizes. The animals that get accepted into the program must be patient, calm, and receptive to being petted.

At NASH, the Therapets program has been a home run with students. Leech has seen the impact the animals have had on the student body.

“It is so rewarding to see the smile and joy on students’ faces when they see their favorite dog waiting for them to pet and play with them,” she said.

Every time the Therapets visit, there will likely be a handful of students eager to interact with the animals. Students pet, play, smile, and take pictures. Reactions have been overwhelmingly positive.

“They’re really fluffy. They always make me feel relaxed,” explained Addison Shepard.

Elliot Davis said of his experience with the Therapets, “I was having a difficult time, and then there was a cool dog.” 

Erin Ivory also enjoys the Therapets at NASH, saying, “They’re always so sweet and well behaved. They’re always so fluffy, I love them.”

The Therapets are at NASH roughly once a month. Students can watch the morning announcements for advanced notice when the Therapets will be visiting, or just keep an eye out for any fuzzy friends during the lunch periods. No reservation is required to visit them when they are at NASH.

Animal Friends relies on its volunteers to keep the Therapets program–and indeed, the entire organization–running smoothly.

The amazing volunteers are at the heart of this program,” Leech said. “They love spending the day volunteering to brighten students’ days and work hard to make everyone’s day fun.”

If students want to help Animal Friends outside of school, they are always welcome to donate or volunteer.

“We have a large shelter full of homeless animals,” Stammely-Parker said, “and we provide pet food to people in need around our area.”

Pet food is a constant need for the organization, and donation drives are held routinely to gather new or lightly used animal beds, collars, and other supplies for all species. Students aged 16 to 18 can sign up to volunteer as a pair with a parent or guardian, and anybody over the age of 18 can volunteer. You can learn more about Animal Friends at their website.