WHAT WE DO
Not a rescue or shelter. No therapy pets.
PAWS Houston has contracts with most hospitals in Houston, Texas that allows our volunteers to provide patients with the comfort of having their own personal pet visit them at the hospital.
- PAWS Houston is dedicated to helping patients receive the comfort and benefits of their pets by facilitating hospital visits to patients.
- We are a volunteer-driven 501(c) not-for-profit corporation with approved patient pet visitation agreements with every major hospital in Houston, including Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital, Memorial Hermann and MD Anderson.
- All “Hospital Personal Pet” visits are facilitated through our dedicated volunteer network. These volunteers work tirelessly to provide scheduled visits, as well as last minute, end of life visits.
- The Hospital Pet Visitation program is a unique program provided by PAWS Houston.
- Operations are made possible by the donations of patients, family and, community supporters.
- To schedule a Hospital Pet Visitation for a patient, please call our hotline at 713-305-4887 and click here for more information.
WHY WE DO IT
Hospital staff felt a Personal Pet Visitation Program would provide comfort, uplift mental outlook and boost physical health. The health and psychological benefits of pet companionship and love have been well documented:
- General physical benefits of animal companionship
- Contact and interaction increases relaxation and reduces anxiety.
- Pet owners experience significant reduction in minor health problems.
- Pet owners have significant improvement in their psychological well being.
- Elderly have increased exercise and mobility routine.
- Pet owners have lower blood pressure, triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
- Pet ownership was associated with better perceived control of illness and treatment.
- Pet ownership provides pet owner a coping mechanism for disfigurement as a result of the disease.
- Pet ownership promotes the enrichment of human lives through a caring partnership with their companion pet.
- Contact and interaction with animal companions increases relaxations and reduces arousal in both children and adults. (Beck & Kathcer, 1983; Friedmann, et al.,1983; Katcher & Beck, 1986; Katcher et al., 1983; Katcher, Beck & Levine, 1988)
- “Pets provide the type of nonevaluative social support than can buffer pathogenic responses to stress” (Allen, K. 2001)
YOU CAN HELP!
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