7th April 2010 - P.A.T Pets

P.A.T Pets

(Posted 7th April 2010)

Burns does not limit its support to animal welfare groups. We also help a wide variety of groups and individuals around the country who work with animals.

Pets As Therapy (PAT) is a national charity which provides therapeutic visits to people in hospices, hospitals, nursing and care homes, special needs schools and many other venues. The visits are made by a dedicated team of volunteers and their own friendly pets which all have been temperament tested and vaccinated. Burns is proud to sponsor just a couple of the more unusual PAT animals.

P.A.T. in Prison
If you were asked to picture a dog which worked in a prison environment the odds are that you would think of a German Shepherd dog which was used for security purposes. Very few people would picture a large shaggy dog that was there to provide companionship and a listening ear to vulnerable prisoners.
Professional PAT dog “Charlie” is a Bouvier des Flandres who lives with Prison Officer Andy Howard and they work together at HM Prison Styal. Charlie works with prisoners who are low in mood or are finding it difficult to adjust to the prison environment. He even assists in some conflict situations and helped end a barricade when he was held up to an observation panel so the female inmate could talk to him rather than a prison officer! Pet owners will understand how therapeutic talking to their pet can be. Just imagine how important that non-judgemental companionship could be for someone who is in prison.
This is the first time PAT has operated within a prison environment and the team has been nominated for, and received, several prestigious awards as a result. Since introducing the scheme there has been a marked reduction in the number of prisoners who have self-harmed or attempted suicide and many residents have experienced a boost in confidence by working with the dogs. There are currently three PAT dogs working at HM Prisons Styal and Foston and the success of the scheme will no doubt see its introduction to other units in the future. Burns is proud to provide these dogs with their food.

P.A.T. Cat
Although the majority of PAT animals are dogs there are also some cats and rabbits registered with the charity.

PAT cat “Dillon” is a handsome nine year old Siamese owned by Soraya Porter from Essex. We were already sponsoring Soraya’s agility dog (and TV star) Ernie when she told us about Dillon. This remarkable cat not only does his bit by offering comfort and companionship as a PAT cat – he has also taken part in Cat Agility competitions! It is well known that stroking a cat helps reduce stress and Dillon offers comfort and companionship to the elderly in care and retirement homes. As you can see Dillon knows when he is on duty and takes the work very seriously.

For more information on Pets As Therapy visit www.petsastherapy.org

P.A.T Pets

(Posted 7th April 2010)

var addthis_pub="burnspet";