Pet Therapy

The Humane Society of Pensacola offers pet therapy to Homestead Village Retirement residents every Tuesday and Friday. From 2:30 to 4 p.m., 3 volunteers and five to six dogs visit three Alzheimer's wards at the complex. The buildings house residents in various stages of the disease.

In order to branch out in the community like the Humane Society hopes, we need more volunteers and pets. All pets should be up-to-date on all vaccinations, calm, clean, flea- and tick-free, have their nails trimmed and get along with other animals. Pets also should be well-behaved and not afraid of wheelchairs or walkers. Most animals are accepted and are required to be Delta Society certified.

The facility does require that all cats be declawed, therefore the Humane Society has yet to be able to include a cat in the program.

If you and your pet would like to help make a difference in an older person's life, contact Liz Ohlhorst at 850-432-4250 for more information.

Reading, Writing and Rover

Our Reading, Writing and Rover program is a fun, school program that teaches responsible pet ownership to children. In order to encourage protection and welfare of animals we feel that children should be educated at an early age about how to care for a pet. The program involves volunteers going into the classrooms with pets. A basic outline on pet care is followed and the children are encouraged to ask questions.

If you would like further information on this program or if you would like to volunteer, please contact Liz Ohlhorst at 850-432-4250.