During these difficult times, Hand in Paw wants to share a little sunshine and hope – just like our Therapy Teams do when they make visits in the community.
Just like other businesses and nonprofits, COVID-19 has challenged us to think outside the box. Our volunteers are eager to serve and our community needs us more than ever. Since we can’t make in-person visits right now, our Therapy Teams are hard at work filming videos of their pups that we can share with our facilities as well as on our social media pages. This online exposure gives a greater number of people access to some #AnimalAssistedTherapy!
Here are a few examples! Check out our social media as we post more each week.
https://www.facebook.com/handinpawal/videos/355349712036590/
https://www.facebook.com/handinpawal/videos/255815152255337/
https://www.facebook.com/handinpawal/videos/217900802628997/
It’s no secret that our pups are thrilled to have us hoomans working from home, and it sure doesn’t hurt to have a little more canine companionship in our lives these days. Hand in Paw has enjoyed participating in the trend of posting pictures of our dogs “working” – be sure to check out our social media for these funny photos! In fact, we are loving the influx of dog content on the interwebs. Here are a few of our favorite articles:
Since we haven’t been able to make our regular in-person visits, many community members and volunteers have been letting us know just how much our visits mean to them and others. We always love to hear stories about the difference we are making in the community, so if you have any yourself, please send them our way!
“All the programs I have been involved with just confirm to me how much joy and happiness a dog can bring to someone regardless of their situation.” – Lori Sours, Hand in Paw Visit Assistant
“Once while visiting a school a fire alarm went off, and as we were filing out down the hallway, we spotted a girl who looked tense. A counselor asked if the girl could sit with Chester because she was very anxious. He laid across her lap, which he rarely ever does; he seemed to sense that she was tense. You could see the tension leave her little face. Later, it melted my heart when I met her mother at school. Her mother told me the girl has his card by her bed and tells him goodnight every night.” – Karen Ford, Hand in Paw Therapy Team Volunteer
“My niece had heart surgery last fall at Children’s of Alabama and fell in love with Olive and Duke. Their coloring sheets are still hanging on her door at home. You lifted all of our spirits with your visits […] thank you for making so many hearts happy!” –Lucy Anderson
We hope these stories touched your heart like they have touched ours. We will continue to bring our Animal-Assisted Therapy services to the community in all the ways we can during this pandemic and in its aftermath. We are so grateful for our hooman and dog volunteers who provide Pawsitive moments during dark times, and for our supporters who make these moments possible.
