Frequently Asked Questions
These questions and answers are listed for the convenience of our visitors. You may call or write to Delta Pet Parters® of San Antonio with any questions or comments.
Who do these animals belong to?
What are Animal-Assisted Activities and Animal-Assisted Therapy?
What animals can be Delta Pet Partners?
What is a therapy animal?
How do I and my pet get started to become a Delta Pet Partners team?
What kind of places do you visit?
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Where does the money go?
Do you have insurance?
When can we take an evaluation class to become a Delta Pet Partner team?
Who do these animals belong to?
All of the pets are owned by their Pet Partner humans. They live in our homes and are a part of our families. This relationship is essential to the stable temperament and friendly character of the animals.
What are Animal-Assisted Activities and Animal-Assisted Therapy?
Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) are casual “meet and greet” events that involved pets and people. These can involve many people at the same time and are not structured.
Example:
A volunteer Delta Pet Partner team visits a nursing home once a month to interact with residents.
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a significant part of treatment for people who are physically, socially, emotionally, or cognitively challenged. Therapy is directed by a health professional and is designed and structured to promote improvement for a specific, individual patient.
Example:
A patient recovering from a stroke has trouble walking. A physical therapist uses a therapy dog to motivate the patient to increase their ability to walk short distances while holding the leash.
What animals can be Delta Pet Partners?
Delta Pet Partners welcomes dogs and cats along with other domestic animals like horses, pot-bellied pigs, rabbits, birds, and guinea pigs. Most animals must be at least one year old to be evaluated for this work. No particular breed is better than another. What matters most is the individual personality of the animal.
What is a therapy animal?
Therapy animals and their handlers are trained to provide specific human populations with appropriate contact with animals. The animals are usually the personal pets of the handlers and accompany their handlers to the sites they visit. Animals must meet specific criteria for health, grooming, and behavior. While managed by their handlers, their work is not handler-focused and instead provides benefits to others.
There is a difference between a “Service Animal” and a “Therapy Animal.”
A “Service Animal” is defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act (federal law, 1990) as any animal individually trained to do work or perform task for the benefit of an individual with a disability. This can include guide, mobility, sound alert, and medical alert/response work. Their work is handler-focused and benefits their handlers who have disabilities. Service animals are not considered “pets.”
How do I and my pet get started to become a Delta Pet Partners team?
You must take a handler course, be screened by a veterinarian, and successfully complete an evaluation. Contact Delta Pet Partners for more information.
What kind of places do you visit?
We arrange visits to many different places where people would benefit from interaction with animals. That includes hospitals, mental-health facilities, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities, group homes, schools, libraries, and many others. If you would like to schedule a visit by a Delta Pet Partner® team, please let us know.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes. Your memberships and donations are tax-deductible because Delta Pet Partners® of San Antonio is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Where does the money go?
Funds from memberships and donations go toward the training of our pets and the education of our members and of the community. Delta Pet Partners is an all-volunteer organization with no paid employees.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. All of our teams are insured by Pet Partners’ commercial general liability insurance.
When can we take an evaluation class to become a Delta Pet Partner team?
Check our calendar for upcoming dates. Our local evaluation dates are tentative and subject to change. You may not see them on the National Pet Partner Calendar until approximately 4 to 6 weeks before the proposed Delta PPSA evaluation dates. You will not be able to register until after the date appears on the National Calendar.