Karen Jones has been a PAT Volunteer for over 15 years and an Assessor in the North West for several years. 

Karen tells us she is lucky as her employers Briggs Equipment gives her a charity/volunteer day every month to contribute to her volunteering hours – which she tots up to be about 400 hours a year.         

"I'm always getting asked about what training does a dog need to be a therapy dog, and also does it need to be a certain breed, etc. The answer is simple. Any dog or cat can be a therapy pet. The training starts from when your puppy is around eight to 10 weeks old, as soon as it has had all its vaccinations. 

"I recommend getting a puppy out the home as soon as possible so it can meet as many different people as possible and visit as many places as you can get them to."

Karen always take treats out with her. "I ask people to give the dog a treat while making a fuss of them. This helps to build confidence and makes them happy to meet strangers. This also works with unsure puppies and dogs as they will get distracted by the treats and will automatically go and say hello. They soon click and realise it's nice seeing strangers."

When carrying out assessments on behalf of Pets As Therapy, Karen arrives early at the venue so she's there to watch when a potential PAT Team turns up. 

"This is a vital start to the assessment for me as I can usually spot straight away how the assessment will go by watching the dog’s temperament, its demeanour and body posture, and how its carries itself. I also look at how the dog interacts and its reaction to its surroundings. And I look at how the handler controls their dog.

"I would highly recommend being a Pets As Therapy Volunteer. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the smiles on people’s faces and breaking down barriers. It is purely amazing what animals can do, and we are purely blessed to witness this as their handlers."