PALS Evaluation Go Pro's

The Pet Access League Society (PALS) is a non-profit organization providing regular pet therapy visits to senior citizens, children, teenagers and adults at over 55 facilities in Calgary including hospitals, emergency and domestic violence shelters, libraries, hospices, schools and the Calgary International Airport.

Through pet therapy, PALS is helping to improve the mental, physical, social and emotional health of Calgarians in need every year. PALS services are provided free of charge through a network of over 250 volunteers and their pets. PALS relies solely on donation and fundraising to maintain operations as we receive no government funding.

PALS currently has 265 active volunteer teams. Because half of every team is a pet, PALS faces a unique challenge of having the pet not continuing with visiting due to age or illness. This presents a unique challenge for PALS. We are constantly recruiting for new pets.

To do this we hold pet evaluations every Spring (April) and Fall (October) to bring on new pets, and to re-assess pets that are currently in the program. Both the new pet evaluation and the re-assessment of current pets are extremely important to ensure that every pet we have heading out to visit with those in need, has the temperament and training necessary to be a part of the PALS Pet Therapy program.

At each of these evaluations, we could be evaluating 100 – 150 pets in one day. The undertaking of evaluations is huge –taking a team of close to 40 volunteers and evaluators. The pets are evaluated at 9 stations that test for 13 skills and reaction assessment. Each station has an evaluator present and a support team of volunteers. Each volunteer team being evaluated is taken through the stations by a volunteer and a person who is wearing a Go Pro Camera. At each station the evaluator makes notes and observations. The Go Pro camera footage is used to support what is being seen and to see other concerns that we may not have noticed.

PALS moved to this way of evaluating just before COVID hit and have found it to be so helpful to address any potential issues or concerns as well as providing great feedback to those being evaluated.

The Go Pros that were purchased in 2018 are well past their prime. While still somewhat functional they are starting to be less than reliable and are burning through batteries at an alarming rate. We currently utilize 7 Go Pros for each evaluation and are looking for a grant to be able to replace them.

PALS clients are 55% senior citizens, 25% adults, and 20% children and teenagers. The need for our services continues to grow, in part due to the measurable benefits of pet therapy, but largely due to the increase in an ageing population and the substantial increase in stress in everyone day to day life. This is the reason PALS continues to recruit new volunteer teams so we are able to meet the increasing demand.

As the population ages and continues to move from independent housing toward some type of long term care facility the residents often are forced to downsize their personal belonging and that includes the family pet. Despite statistical facts surrounding improved mental and physical health and wellbeing with exposure to pets, at the time in their life when pets become the most important the connection is removed. PALS visits on a regular basis helps to bridge that connection again.

Currently we have four main programs:Pet Visitation Therapy Program, StoryPALS, Puppy Rooms, and Pre-Board PALS.

The Pet Visitation Therapy Program provides visits to partnering facilities. The recipients of this program are primarily persons whose response to other forms of therapy is non-existent, or to whom pet therapy would provide an alternative to other more common forms of therapy. Clients who benefit from this program have often experienced brain injuries or strokes, forms of dementia, Autism or are in palliative care.

StoryPALS is collaboration with the Calgary Public Libraries where we bring dogs into select libraries for children who are having issues with reading and these children spend some one on one time with the dogs reading to them.

PALS puppy rooms work with the Calgary’s universities and other post-secondary institutes by providing some stress release activities during exam times. This program is extremely popular with the students and this year we are already booked into the U of C, SAIT, St Mary’s University College and Mount Royal. PALS will also attend Calgary elementary and high schools during exam times and during special events.

Pre-Board Pals (PBP) is a partnership between Pet Access League Society (PALS) and The Calgary Airport Authority that started in April of 2014, which brings PALS therapy animals to the airport to enhance the YYC passenger experience.