Help Our Cause

This month we support the

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA

PET THERAPY PROGRAM

The Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program originated from the belief that dogs offer a therapeutic value to children that human family members and hospital staff cannot give.

This program gives children the opportunity to interact safely with the dogs and receive their unconditional love and acceptance in the hopes of making the hospital environment more comfortable and less stressful.

Our program involves trained volunteers and their dogs who visit the children at CHOP. Additional benefits of pet therapy are:

• Positive therapeutic experiences that help minimize the stress of the hospital environment
• Support of the overall social, physical and emotional development of the child 
• Reduced anxiety and enhanced coping skills by providing a distraction from illness and hospitalization 
• Increased normalization of the hospital experience by making it more "home-like"