Canine Friends Pet Therapy

Canine Friends Pet Therapy is a New Zealand-wide network of people who share their friendly well behaved dogs with patients in hospitals and residents in rest homes/hospices. Canine Friends is 100% run by volunteers. 100% of our funding goes to expanding the number of places we can visit. Canine Friends experience and anecdotal evidence shows that the people we visit are often energised and comforted by our visiting dog teams.

Each Canine Friends Pet Therapy owner and dog team is assigned a rest home, hospital ward or hospice which they visit regularly to an agreed timetable.​ ​The location assigned will be determined by the owner's availability and interest and the dog's personality. ​Visits are scheduled to suit hospitals and rest home programmes and members' commitments and availability. 

Our dogs love being patted, hugged and talked to. Dog owners enjoy seeing patients and residents faces light up as they are transported through the touch of a furry coat.