The PET-P.A.L. Program is the Law Center’s animal-assisted therapy program. Conducted by Alison and her certified therapy dog, Marley, the program uses dogs as intervention tools to teach maltreated children positive social behavior. PET-P.A.L. includes individual therapy and a group therapy shelter program.
10-week individual therapy sessions focus on positive communication, responsibility, empathy, and anger management. Because Marley was abused by his former owners, the youth are able to connect with him in a personal way and therapists can use his story as a bridge to discuss our clients’ pasts. Children also learn positive reinforcement and how their behavior impacts others by teaching Marley tricks.
The shelter program is a semi-weekly group program that pairs foster youth with canines up for adoption at a local shelter. The youth use positive reinforcement to train the same canine for eight consecutive weeks. Once the training is complete and the animal is adopted, the child presents the dog to his/her new adopted family, demonstrates the dog’s obedience and terminates the relationship in a positive way. In addition to forming a bond with their dogs and learning positive communication skills, the children learn to positively understand the adoption process.
