Pet Partners Advocates for National Therapy Animal Day on April 30

Pet Partners, a national organization that registers therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions, announces the eighth annual National Therapy Animal Day on April 30, 2022. Pet Partners created National Therapy Animal Day to recognize all of the exceptional therapy animals who partner with their human companions to bring comfort, joy and healing to those in need. Therapy animals and their human partners help people of all ages in a variety of settings including hospitals, veterans’ facilities, schools, assisted living facilities and after crisis events. 

 While a majority of Pet Partners therapy animals are dogs, the Therapy Animal Program is open to cats, equines, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds, miniature pigs and llamas and alpacas. Therapy animals of all species play an important role in bringing the healing benefits of animals to their communities.

“It is an honor to recognize our hardworking therapy animal teams today and every day, who bring positivity and joy to their communities and help to improve lives through the benefits of animals,” said C. Annie Peters, President and CEO of Pet Partners. “Therapy animals and their human handlers help people of all ages experience the incredible benefits of the human-animal bond.” 

On National Therapy Animal Day, communities everywhere can do the following:

• Recognize and honor therapy animals.
• Raise awareness and educate the public about the role therapy animals play in enhancing the health and well-being of humans.
• Honor the thousands of dedicated handlers (the human members of therapy animal teams) who volunteer their time and compassion during visits.

Many supporters and volunteers have been working to have their local officials proclaim April 30 National Therapy Animal Day in their communities. To date, nearly 40 local and state governments have announced proclamations, including Cobb County, GA; the city of Phoenix, AZ; and the state of Texas, among other communities.

In addition to requesting proclamations, people are encouraged to show their support for National Therapy Animal Day on social media by following Pet Partners, sharing photos and stories and joining the conversation using the hashtag #NationalTherapyAnimalDay. Everyone can celebrate by sharing the impact animals have had on their lives and in their communities. To learn more about Pet Partners and National Therapy Animal Day, visit www.petpartners.org/ntad.