Volunteers
petpals_2Pet pals participants receive general volunteer training at UW Children’s Hospital. These volunteers also receive specialized training at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine.
New volunteers accompany experienced Pet Pals teams before making their first hospital visits with their own dogs.
Not all volunteers participate as members of hospital visitation teams. University of Wisconsin veterinary medical students assist in performing behavior and medical evaluations, fund raising, scheduling, and record-keeping.
Pet pals was developed by students, faculty, and staff of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Child Life Department at UW Children’s Hospital.
Faculty and students of the School of Veterinary Medicine conduct rigorous health and behavior evaluations before eligible adult dogs are accepted into the program. Pet Pals dogs are rechecked medically every 3 months. Pet Pals dogs are bathed and groomed before every hospital visit. During their visits they wear royal blue vests, not only to identify them as official hospital volunteers but also to minimize the spread of hair and dander.