At Phoenix Children’s, part of our Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program relies on hospital volunteers – both those with therapy animals and those without. Learn about our volunteer roles.

To become a volunteer, visit the hospital’s volunteering page and register as an in-hospital volunteer.

 

Register to Volunteer

 

Volunteer Without a Pet

You don’t have to own a therapy animal to volunteer with the AAT program. Each of our AAT volunteer teams includes three members:

  • The therapy animal
  • The animal’s handler
  • A volunteer escort

As a volunteer escort, you support the pet and their handler. During a patient visit, you use an iPad to collect data about the patient. You also make sure your team maintains hospital hygiene standards and meets treatment goals.

Volunteer With a Pet

If you’d like to volunteer with your pet to provide animal-assisted therapy, follow these steps:

  1. Get registered as a therapy animal team with one of the following national organizations:
  2. Make sure your therapy animal has three to 12 months of experience.
  3. Register as an in-hospital volunteer.
  4. Train and serve as a volunteer escort at Phoenix Children’s to learn about the hospital and AAT program.
  5. Make an appointment, so we can evaluate your pet in the hospital environment. Your pet must be calm and predictable and pass basic obedience skills.
Meet our current therapy animals