Pet therapy groups seek additional volunteers
Apr. 5—TUPELO — A pair of nonprofit organizations are looking for more volunteers ... both of the two- and four-legged variety.
Love on a Leash (LOAL) and Comfort Creatures of Northeast Mississippi (CCNEMS), in partnership with Unleashed and Awesome Dog Academy, will host its Spring Meet & Greet this Sunday, April 10, at Unleashed on 1948 Cliff Gookin Boulevard in Tupelo. Together, the groups help connect animals with people who could benefit from the kind of affection and support only they can provide.
Interested volunteers can stop by from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for information about joining the organizations and to meet active therapy dogs and their owners. Temperament assessments will be available, and dog trainers will be on site. Fully vaccinated dogs are welcome. Door prizes and doggy bags will be handed out.
According to Jim Missett, chapter leader of LOAL, the goal of the event is drive participation in the organizations.
"We are low on operating teams," Missett said. "We're just trying to recruit new members."
Founded in 2005, CCNEMS is a local volunteer group that provides support to the community through pet therapy. LOAL is a national volunteer organization that certifies therapy animals.
In Tupelo, the two organizations overlap, with most volunteers obtaining certification with LOAL. Currently, the team is all dogs, but cats and rabbits can also be certified to be therapy pets. Volunteers without pets can participate.
CCNEMS, LOAL and partner agencies are hosting Sunday's event for any dog or pet owner who feels that they could be a good fit for volunteering.
"Anybody that wants to promote the benefit of the human-animal connection is welcome," said Lisa Abstein, the founder of Comfort Creatures.
During COVID-19, CCEMS lost some teams naturally as dogs passed or members moved. Now, they have 20 volunteers, with 12 certified teams. The organization regularly serves seven sites, but its members hope to add more certified animals to the team as demand grows.
"We have hospitals and agencies wanting pet therapy, but we don't have enough teams to provide that service in the community," Abstein said.
Pet therapy teams visit throughout North Mississippi and as far as Meridian and Red Bay, Alabama. Teams usually visit hospitals, schools, medical clinics, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and special events.
Volunteers must obtain a control evaluation with a certified behaviorist, dog trainer, obedience instructor or American Kennel Club approved evaluator, complete ten supervised visits with a certified LOAL team, and submit visit evaluation and application forms. CCNEMS and LOAL do not provide training, and dogs must be able to follow simple commands. Some facilities may have their own additional requirements, including background checks.
During the pandemic, members hosted a lot of special events, including window visits for long term care facility residents. When a surge in case numbers came in summer 2021, CCNEMS therapy dogs visited the additional medical personnel that arrived.
Some teams visit weekly or two to three times a week. Most visits last an hour.
Abstein and Missett see the healing benefits of animal-assisted therapy in the lit up faces of the patients they visit, comforting pats and, sometimes, tears of joy.
"That just makes people's day. That's our pay ... getting to see other people happy because we showed up," Abstein said. "We're not doing anything special, but our dogs are reaching out to people."
