Care2 member? Log in

Animals Who Heal Children

Sponsored by: American Humane Association
Ten-year-old Laura* had been the victim of sexual and emotional abuse. After being removed from her unsafe home, she was placed in foster care, but the emotional scars from her ordeal were taking a toll and she was placed in a mental health program. Her difficult road to healing began with the support of another specialist trained in such matters – a dog named Rigo!

Over the weeks and months of Laura's counseling, her trust in Rigo grew steadily. And one day, a breakthrough occurred. With her arms wrapped around Rigo for comfort and security, Laura whispered in his ear, describing in graphic detail her horror of abuse.

Operating as a program of American Humane Association, Denver Pet Partners provides animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy to clients such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospice, schools, mental health centers and more.

Animals have the power to heal - sign this pledge to support Denver Pet Partners and other animal-assisted therapy programs!

*This is a true story. The child's name has been changed for her privacy.
deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 30,000
 

Sign Petition!  see who signed this
log in
Prefix
optional
First name
Last name
Email
Country
Address
City
State
Province
Zip code Postal code
 
Share your stories about animals helping children heal.
Which political party best represents your values?
Do you have children?
 
 
Care2's terms of service.
We respect your privacy. Your email address is used to confirm your signature and is NOT displayed publicly.
 
Having problems signing this petition? Please let us know.

(This is a pledge petition – your signature reflects your support of this initiative, but your signature will not be sent to any target.)

Just 10 years old, Laura* had been the victim of sexual and emotional abuse. Her difficult road to healing would take time and support, as well as the help of another specialist trained in such matters -- a dog!

After being removed from her unsafe home, Laura was placed in foster care, but the emotional scars from her ordeal were taking a toll. Her behavior suffered, and she was unable to function in a regular school, so she wound up in a mental health program. It was there that she met a therapy dog named Rigo and his handler, Diana -- a trained Pet Partners® team that would help Laura take her first step toward healing.

Animal-assisted therapy can provide the spark that helps children and adults recover from physical and emotional injury.

When Laura first saw the big, black dog, her eyes lit up. She was thrilled to make a new, furry friend. Over the weeks and months of Laura's counseling, her trust in Rigo and Diana grew steadily. And one day, a breakthrough occurred. With her arms wrapped around Rigo for comfort and security, Laura whispered in his ear, describing in graphic detail her horror of abuse.

Opening up about her experience opened the door to Laura's healing. During her year of working with her therapist and Pet Partners team, she learned how to build a healthy relationship with another being, how to feel safe and how to stay safe. Laura was able to re-enter public school and lead the type of life every child deserves. Soon after, she began preparing for adoption into a loving family.

The value of the human-animal bond is perhaps no more evident than in situations like Laura's. That's why American Humane has joined forces with Denver Pet Partners to provide direct services in animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities.

*This is a true story. The child's name has been changed for her privacy.

We signed the “Animals Who Heal Children” petition!
# 29,950:
5:40 pm PDT, Apr 27, Kathleen Hogan, Texas
# 29,949:
5:08 pm PDT, Apr 27, Dennis & Audrey Merta, New Jersey
# 29,948:
5:04 pm PDT, Apr 27, Michele Hayes, Florida
# 29,947:
3:21 pm PDT, Apr 27, Name not displayed, Illinois
# 29,946:
2:48 pm PDT, Apr 27, Elizabeth Pace, Arizona
# 29,945:
2:18 pm PDT, Apr 27, Valeri Pervo, Ohio
# 29,944:
2:09 pm PDT, Apr 27, Nadia Negretti, California
# 29,943:
2:06 pm PDT, Apr 27, Siau Yean M, Minnesota
# 29,942:
1:17 pm PDT, Apr 27, Victoria Lord, United Kingdom
# 29,941:
1:07 pm PDT, Apr 27, Jennifer Fuentes, Massachusetts
# 29,940:
12:18 pm PDT, Apr 27, Bob Nowlan, Oregon
# 29,939:
11:53 am PDT, Apr 27, Liz Scheader, New York
# 29,938:
10:25 am PDT, Apr 27, Karen Hendrie, New York
# 29,937:
9:33 am PDT, Apr 27, Name not displayed, Maine
# 29,936:
9:24 am PDT, Apr 27, Sonja Brooks, North Carolina
# 29,935:
8:54 am PDT, Apr 27, Karen Tolfree, New York
# 29,934:
8:29 am PDT, Apr 27, Jack Nowicki, Texas
# 29,933:
7:53 am PDT, Apr 27, Niqe Ware, New Hampshire
# 29,932:
4:13 am PDT, Apr 27, Hanne Smessaert, Belgium
# 29,931:
2:59 am PDT, Apr 27, Claudia Stoffel, Washington
# 29,930:
5:38 pm PDT, Apr 26, Adelaide Jaffe, Washington D.C.
# 29,929:
4:33 pm PDT, Apr 26, Jacqueline Grillo, North Carolina
# 29,928:
3:36 pm PDT, Apr 26, Michelle Lell, California
# 29,927:
3:19 pm PDT, Apr 26, Esther Roberts, California
# 29,926:
2:58 pm PDT, Apr 26, Vanessa C. montgomery, Arizona
# 29,925:
2:26 pm PDT, Apr 26, Nancy Ness, Kansas
# 29,924:
2:22 pm PDT, Apr 26, Name not displayed, Florida
Bringing the innocence of animals and children together is a great thing!
# 29,923:
1:53 pm PDT, Apr 26, Vanessa Ormiston, Washington
# 29,922:
12:07 pm PDT, Apr 26, J. Kruse, Illinois
# 29,921:
11:51 am PDT, Apr 26, Nina Steffney, Pennsylvania
# 29,920:
11:24 am PDT, Apr 26, Margaret Lapointe, New Hampshire
# 29,919:
10:38 am PDT, Apr 26, Nancy Buchanan, California
# 29,918:
10:27 am PDT, Apr 26, Julia Cameron, Ohio
# 29,917:
9:32 am PDT, Apr 26, Michelle Korbmacher, Minnesota
# 29,916:
8:57 am PDT, Apr 26, Deborah Zilnicki, New York
# 29,915:
7:31 am PDT, Apr 26, Christy Hayden, Ohio
# 29,914:
6:54 am PDT, Apr 26, Amy Zowniriw, Pennsylvania
# 29,913:
6:52 am PDT, Apr 26, Name not displayed, Nevada
# 29,912:
4:03 am PDT, Apr 26, Christopher Young, Texas
"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." Bernard Williams You should be praised for you good works!
# 29,911:
11:02 pm PDT, Apr 25, Samantha Nagy, Canada
# 29,910:
10:34 pm PDT, Apr 25, Lana Oberst, Georgia
# 29,909:
9:37 pm PDT, Apr 25, Marlene Clark, Massachusetts
# 29,908:
6:20 pm PDT, Apr 25, Bonniejill Laflin, California
# 29,907:
5:50 pm PDT, Apr 25, Allison Sacco, Alaska
# 29,906:
4:05 pm PDT, Apr 25, Mary Beth Hostrup, Florida
# 29,905:
4:00 pm PDT, Apr 25, Lucy Cole, California
# 29,904:
3:48 pm PDT, Apr 25, Jae Matos, Texas
# 29,903:
2:07 pm PDT, Apr 25, Emma Culver, Utah
# 29,902:
1:59 pm PDT, Apr 25, Amy Cooper, Florida
# 29,901:
1:08 pm PDT, Apr 25, Cynthia Swisher, North Carolina
Copyright © 2008 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved