Our Troupe in the News
Daily Herald Article on the "Bark for Books" Reading Program (Oct 2011)
Troupe Member of the Month
Jeff Schofield and Opie
Jeff has been a dedicated member of the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe since 2021 and a registered Pet Partner team since 2009. His Pet Partner therapy dog is Opie, a 9-year-old Goldendoodle. Jeff and Opie have been faithful visitors at the Oak Park Infant Welfare League where they provide comfort and support to children coming into the after-school health clinics. Opie enjoys “Read With Me” programs at local elementary schools and libraries where he listens intently as children read their books to him. Jeff and Opie also provide stress relief for students at Dominican University and University of Illinois and support to patients and healthcare staff at MacNeal hospital.
Here is what Jeff has to say about his PAWSitive Therapy Troupe experiences:
“I can honestly say that we do not have just one “favorite” place that we go. I have yet to leave a visit where we didn't have a positive impact with either an individual or group of people. Whether it's a visit of only a few or a few hundred, Opie and I as a team always have felt appreciated for what we do.
Over the past 7 1/2 years that Opie and I have been making therapy visits I've estimated we have visited with over 5,000 people. Some of the larger venues like Dominican University, UIC, corporate events or the many elementary or high schools we go to always have large turnouts. I can't say enough about Opie’s willingness to show affection towards people and the affection he gets in return is a wonderful thing to see.
It has happened often where we will be at the park or the pet store or at a pet friendly restaurant where random people will come up to us and want to pet him. They will remember him from a visit we made at their school or with their parents while they were hospitalized. It's this kind of situation that makes animal-assisted therapy such a great experience. I personally get so much satisfaction contributing to such a rewarding cause with the sweetest and most devoted teammate a person could ask for.”
On behalf of all of us in the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe, thank YOU Jeff and Opie for your dedicated service!
About Us
What is the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe?
What Do We Do?
The PAWSitive Therapy Troupe is an Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy program designed to share registered therapy dogs with patients and students in a variety of health care and educational settings.
Animal-Assisted Activities
Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) share registered therapy dogs with patients or students in a variety of activities such as individual bedside visits, entertaining demonstrations or educational sessions. Animal- Assisted Activities are not necessarily goal-directed, but they are nonetheless certainly therapeutic in nature.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is goal-directed intervention in which a therapy dog is an integral part of the clinical treatment process. It is directed by a licensed health care or education professional with specialized expertise and within the scope of his or her profession. AAT is designed to promote improvement in physical, social, emotional and / or cognitive functioning / reading skills. This process is documented in the health care record by the health care professional or in the education plan by the education professional
Since 1997
Making a Difference
Our Troupe
Our teams of 48 volunteer handlers and 53 registered therapy dogs visit and participate in therapy sessions at locations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
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Pet Partners ®
We are a proud to be "A Community of Pet Partners" troupe. Both ends of the leash, human and animal, must meet the highest standards to volunteer with Pet Partners.
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Read With Me™
Our troupe participates in the Pet Partners Read With Me™ initiative which incorporates therapy animals to support readers of all ages and abilities.
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In 2023 our troupe logged over 1,500 therapy visit hours.Won't you help support our mission.
MISSION STATEMENT
The PAWSitive Therapy Troupe is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to sharing registered therapy dogs with individuals in a wide variety of health care and educational settings--bringing comfort, support and encouragement through the unique healing power of the human-animal bond.