Photography by Pals for Life

If you’ve ever snuggled with a sweet kitty, petted a fluffy rabbit, or been greeted by a joyful puppy, then you know how therapeutic interacting with an animal can be.

And research confirms that pets can positively impact our physical and mental well-being, such as by reducing our stress levels and boosting our happiness hormones. So it’s no surprise that they are being put to work in various settings to comfort children and adults alike.

Take the folks at the Pennsylvania charity Pals for Life (PFL), which arranges more than two hundred charitable pet visits a year. The organization’s volunteers bring their dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, and other pets in for an evaluation to assess criteria such as personality, obedience, and reaction to various stimuli like loud noises and sudden movements. These animals are then brought on supervised trips to schools, libraries, businesses, and hospitals, either for a simple visit or as part of a more focused program. For instance, its Read to Pet Pals one helps kids improve their literacy, while another provides therapy for children with special needs.

The results can be immeasurable, both promoting social interaction and physical activity and bringing smiles to people’s faces. During one visit to a local college, a particularly cute PFL therapy bunny named Sprinkles even managed to completely relieve a student’s stress. “I was a mess earlier, but now I am totally fine!” she exclaimed.

As research continues on the multiple health benefits animals can provide, therapeutic pets like PFL’s will likely only become more of a fixture in hospitals, hospices, and other institutions, helping to heal and uplift everyone they meet.

For more info, visit palsforlife.org