Pets as Therapy (PAT)

9th Mar, 2026

Written by PAT Member Stephanie Kuhn

Enriching lives through animal companionship

Most of us who have the privilege of sharing our lives with pets will, without hesitation, attest to the joy and brightness they bring to our lives. This is more than simply feeling affection for our furry friends –there’s ample scientific evidence of the therapeutic effects of interacting with animals on humans.

PAT exists so that more people can benefit from the joy, comfort, support and stress relief that animals bring. It’s a community-based, voluntary outreach organisation operating across South Africa that coordinates animal companion visits at various facilities, with a special focus on facilities for people facing physical and psychological challenges, regardless of age.

PAT in a nutshell

Established in 2001, PAT currently has 99 members and 85 animal companions. Although many animal species can be therapy animals, we focus mainly on dogs. Of our 85 animal companions, 84 are dogs; our one and only cat member is a beautiful Somali cat called Tweet.

We operate across the country and have teams doing visits in the greater Cape Town area (Atlantic Seaboard, Deep South and the Northern and Southern suburbs), the Cape Winelands (Helderberg, Stellenbosch and Paarl), Malmesbury, Limpopo (Modimolle and Polokwane), the Overberg and the South Coast.

How the animal companion visits work

A PAT team consists of a human guardian and an animal companion who regularly visit a dedicated facility where residents can interact with the animal. Each PAT team is assigned to a specific facility and visits are scheduled, ideally two to three times a month. The visits and interactions are social and unstructured. We also do ad hoc visits where multiple PAT teams visit a facility or attend an event together.

Some examples of the people and facilities we visit include the following:

Children

Children in hospitals receiving intensive medical treatment, awaiting operations or in recovery
Children at schools catering to special educational and learning needs
Children in court-appointed safe house care

Young adults

Teenagers in care with social challenges
University students on campus dealing with exam stress

Adults and the elderly

Patients in special care facilities and group homes
Employees at companies that want to provide general wellness support to the team
Elderly people in retirement homes and frail care centres

Lees-Ukufunda-Read

PAT also offers the Lees-Ukufunda-Read programme, which aims to improve children’s reading and communication skills. These visits, which usually take place at a school or library, involve a child sitting with and reading to the animal companion without fear of judgement.

PAT members need to attend an additional workshop, pass an open-book test and be registered with R.E.A.D.® (Reading Education Assistance Dogs®) in the US to become part of this programme.

Changing lives for the better, one visit at a time

The animal companion visits have a positive impact on many levels, including physical, emotional and psychological:

People feel less lonely or depressed
It provides a welcome change in routine and something to look forward to
It offers distraction from whatever challenges they may be facing, such as pain and discomfort
People become more active and responsive both during and after the visits
It gives them an opportunity to freely share their thoughts, feelings and memories
Stroking a dog or cat can reduce blood pressure and petting encourages use of the hands and arms and general movement

Ask any PAT volunteer about their visits and they’ll have many stories to share of seeing the transformative impact of the visits first-hand – eyes lighting up when the animal companion arrives, people marking the visits in their personal calendar as a highlight of their week, and patients who are usually passive expressing love and affection.

And it’s not only the people at the facilities who benefit – being a volunteer is just as rewarding.

Interested in joining PAT? Here’s how it works

We’re always looking for new members who want to share the joy and love of their animal companions with others. The more teams we have, the more lives we can change for the better.

To join PAT, neither you nor your animal companion needs any formal training. The most important thing is that your animal has the right temperament so the visits serve their intended purpose.

The application process consists of three steps:

First, you’ll complete an application form to provide some basic information about you and your animal companion.
Then you’ll attend two mentorship visits with existing PAT volunteers to get a better feel for what the visits involve. Your animal companion won’t join you on these visits yet.
If you’re still keen to join, we’ll arrange a behavioural assessment where we’ll test whether your animal companion has the right qualities to be a good therapy animal, including enjoying interacting with people and basic obedience. We also evaluate your nature and your attitude towards animal therapy visits.

If you pass the assessment, the PAT coordinator in your area will introduce you to an appropriate facility and help put the necessary arrangements in place. Once you’re part of the PAT family, the area coordinator and other members are available for ongoing support, so you can rest assured that there’s a team you can reach out to with any questions.

More details about the requirements and application process are available on our website.

Other ways to get involved

As an NPO, we rely on donors and sponsors to cover our operational expenses and needs. We therefore welcome donations of any kind, including financial donations (which are tax-deductible) and relevant goods or services.

Want to know more?

For more information about PAT or to get involved in any way: