Your financial support is critical to the continued growth of this worthwhile community service. With your help TPOC will continue to expand to more communities. Your assistance will ensure that more seniors and children will benefit from interacting with an evaluated dog or cat and their handler.

Did you know that you have two easy donation options available to you?

You can direct a portion of your annual United Way donation to Therapeutic Paws of Canada. Simply attach a note to your United Way donation indicating the amount you wish to be directed to Therapeutic Paws of Canada.

Remember to state our charity number (registered charity 86535 9350 RR0001) and the following address:

Therapeutic Paws of Canada
2886 Front Road
Hawkesbury, ON K6A 2R2

Or, simply click on the Donate Now button below and submit your donation through CanadaHelps.

At Therapeutic Paws of Canada we offer a volunteer based therapy dog and cat visitation program for senior’s facilities such as retirement homes, nursing homes, Alzheimer day away centers, hospitals and where there is a need. The medical establishment has long recognized the significant benefits of a therapy dog and cat program. The petting and stroking of a pet helps to calm the most agitated resident and stimulates wonderful conversations about the pet they once owned. Recovery from surgery is quoted as being accelerated when there is continued contact with a pet. As a result of the many government fiscal cutbacks, the facility’s staff is stretched to their limits. The positive impact of our program on the day-to-day life of each senior throughout our community and beyond cannot be calculated.

Many of our members have been volunteering with their therapy dog(s) for over a decade. These people bring to Therapeutic Paws of Canada a wealth of experience and expertise working with seniors and canines. We know from experience that there are many seniors that do not have the advantage of a therapy dog or therapy cat visit. Some of these seniors have outlived their relatives and have no one to visit them. Sometimes they are in a facility that is a distance from their family making regular visits for them very difficult. We help to fill a need and bring a little sunshine to their lonely day.

Many TPOC volunteers are involved in the Paws To Read™ program. TPOC provide Child Certified therapy dogs and handlers to schools to help students who struggle with reading skills. There are many libraries adding the Paws To Read™ program to their activity schedule. Literary specialists acknowledge the fact that children who are below their peers in reading skills and are intimidated by reading aloud in a group often have lower self-esteem and view reading as a chore. Reading to the dogs is fun and it is good practice. All the children involved feel good about themselves.

We welcome dedicated individuals to join us in building this exciting new organization. The Therapeutic Paws of Canada organization is based on the needs of the community and the volunteer’s simple request to “just let me visit with my dog or cat”. We are not a multi level hierarchy of management; however, to safely administer each region we require Team Leaders and Registered Evaluators. To qualify as a Registered Evaluator with Therapeutic Paws of Canada a candidate must demonstrate significant knowledge of dog and or cat behaviour and possess hands-on experience gained from such activities as obedience instructor, shelter worker, dog groomer, breeder, vet tech or they may be involved in other dog activities such as agility, tracking or flyball. These individuals must participate with their pet in the program. For those interested in either of these positions please click on “Contact Us” and email or phone the Director of Team Leaders or Director of Evaluator.

Our volunteers are covered by insurance when visiting on behalf of Therapeutic Paws of Canada.

Each pet volunteer in our visiting program is required to successfully complete an assessment, proving they have the instincts and personality required of a good therapy visitor. These dogs and cats must display temperament that shows confidence, good manners and sociability with other dogs, other cats and people. The Therapeutic Paws of Canada Therapy Dog Evaluation is a well-developed evaluation. The Therapy Cat Evaluation includes multiple sessions at various locations. A nominal fee will be charged for these assessments.

In keeping with current safety factors governing volunteers our members must submit three references that will be verified. The members must submit to a vulnerable police records check and must have a clean record prior to visiting on behalf of Therapeutic Paws of Canada.

If you feel our program offers what you’ve been looking for, then join us and make a difference in your community. To discuss our program in greater detail please click on Contact Us for a representative in your area.