Patients who have been withdrawn and non-communicative will show interest in a cuddly feline or fluffy dog that they can hold, and give it their love and tenderness. We have had numerous occasions where people, who have not responded to anyone or anything since being institutionalized, have spoken, touched, and smiled at our pets! Why? Because pets give their total, unconditional love—pets are not judgmental. Pets do not care if the residents/patients are old, deformed, or unattractive; pets love them regardless of their station in life. A child in a coma smiled when his hand was placed on a furry coat, the dog licked his hand while many hospital staff members and family cried with joy.

Validation Therapy

Pets work as "ice-breakers" for TPPT volunteers to initiate conversation, and they break down the communication barriers. The resident/patient will often start talking of the pets they have known and loved. Because TPPT volunteers are assigned a regular place of visitation, they and their pets see the same people each week. This allows for a "bonding" effect, and after a few months our volunteers and their pets become like family—often the only visitors that some residents/patients ever have.

All of TPPT’s pet visitation programs are tailored especially for the institutional requirements. Some programs are based for one-on-one bonding, others are for group therapy encounters, or adapted to fit the emotional and physical limitations of a particular institution’s patients/residents. This has proven to be extremely effective in all phases of pet therapy.