Almaden Health and Rehabilitation Center is a 77-bed facility near the corner of Union Avenue and Los Gatos-Almaden Road. Patients may be recovering from surgery, injury, or stroke; some are there for long-term care. The staff is particularly friendly, not only welcoming our pets but also helping patients to interact with them. At present, only dogs are on this team. We hear that “doggie days” are big favorites with the Almaden patients and staff alike.

Reading Buddies is a program where children read books aloud to pets, to help increase their confidence and reading ability. Interested children will sign up for the program at the library, first come, first serve. Pets of all types are encouraged; however, pets must be able to be calm for relatively long periods of time, maintaining a sit/stay or down/stay, while the child is reading to them and petting them. All pets must have passed the Reading Buddies evaluation class. The visits take place in a single large room so all pets will be in close proximity to other pets. This visit is about an hour in length. The team has a wonderful large room for our visit!

The Dr. Roberto Cruz Alum Rock Branch of the San Jose Public Library is a Reading Buddies Site. The visits take place in the multi-purpose room which has a direct entrance from the outside. Children of all ages are invited to snuggle up on a blanket and read to our pets. All animals are welcome! Volunteers must be 14 years old.

This is a Reading Buddies team and pets must have passed the Reading Buddies evaluation class. Apostles Lutheran School consists of all grade levels through high school. Our Reading Buddies visit is with the 2nd-grade class and is a one-on-one timed reading session with a Furry Friend. The students rotate their reading based on a 3-4 minute reading time during the one hour visit time.

Located on a side street in downtown Menlo Park, this facility is a 24-hour skilled nursing and Rehabilitation service. They provide physical therapy, occupational rehab, and tailored activities, for temporary as well as long term care. There are 3 stories, and our visit is amongst the patients in a large hall; we also do some room to room visits.

Atria Independent Living is a very nice senior and assisted living community; it looks like an apartment complex. The grounds are nice, with lots of trees and walkways. Parking is on the street. This Furry Friends team visits the great room near where residents eat their lunch. Many residents here are dog lovers and enjoy having a chance to stop by get some dog time in, as well as a visit with the human volunteers. This group is very low key and a great option for new and experienced volunteers alike. Dogs of all breeds and sizes are welcome.

Atria WG is a very nice senior living complex, it looks like an apartment complex. The grounds are nice, with lots of trees and walkways. Parking is on the street. Most of the facility is independent living. Furry Friends visits their Memory Care unit, which is in a single (locked) building in the complex. There are approximately 31 residents. The visits are held in the activities room, or, in good weather, in an outdoor courtyard.

This is a Reading Buddies team and pets must have passed the Reading Buddies evaluation class.

Bellerose is a newly remodeled, small assisted living site with memory care. With only 15-20 residents, it has an intimate feeling. The FF visits are warmly greeted by both residents and all staff. From the activity area to individual resident’s rooms much joy is spread around. Due to the smaller setting, it’s requested that dogs are 40 lbs and under.

Belmont Village of Sunnyvale is an Assisted Living Community that offers assistance with daily living. There is a separate, secured Alzheimer’s neighborhood, all in a warm and comfortable environment. In a rather elegant although homelike setting, Furry Friends visits as a group with patients with memory loss (Circle of Friends) and with Alzheimer's residents. There is ample parking in front of the building.

Description pending

This is a Reading Buddies team and pets must have passed the Reading Buddies evaluation class.

Cedar Creek is a 58-bed facility that offers specialized care to people with dementia, Alzheimer's, and other similar diseases. Their program is designed for people who cannot adequately care for themselves, and require a safe and pleasant environment in which to live. Residents are able to safely stroll both inside the building and outside on paths through the gardens and lawn area. The residents enjoy seeing and petting the animals brought to Cedar Creek.

Channing House is a charming Life Care Facility in residential downtown Palo Alto. Channing House provides Independent Living, Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing accommodations for its residents. Most of the residents here are ardent animal lovers, many still regretting the animals they had to leave to move to Channing House. Furry Friends share smiles and laughs during the visit with the residents on the Skilled Nursing floor and the Activity Center Room in a big group setting.

The Cordilleras Mental Health Center provides mental health services in the rolling hills of Redwood City for San Mateo County. The Suites are semi-private rooms. There is a very large fenced in area behind the main building, which is ideal for off-leash visits. Clients are adults between the ages of 18 and 60 who suffer from acute mental illness. The facility welcomes all kinds of animals. Visits will be off-leash in the fenced-in recreation area though on-leash dogs are also welcome! There is a small parking lot in front of the facility and plenty of street parking. Volunteers must be 18.

Courtyard Care Center provides skilled nursing care and medical rehabilitation services. It is a 75-bed facility located just off Stevens Creek Boulevard between San Tomas and Saratoga. Many residents there are unable to get out of bed easily, so our Furry Friends go from room to room. When weather permits, our Furry Friends go out on the patio to visit, and they always make a stop in the activities room. Many of the residents there are animal lovers, and the Furry Friends visits bring a smile to their faces.

CreekView Health Center, adjacent to Stoneridge Creek retirement community, is comprised of 73 Medicare certified beds to provide skilled nursing services with an adjacent 68 residence assisted living community. The Health Center features 24-hour skilled nursing care with a specialized rehabilitation program for inpatient and outpatient care as well as medication management, IV therapy, wound care, etc. CreekView also provides a safe and supportive environment for residents with varying levels of dementia and other memory impairments.

Crestwood Behavioral Health Inc. offers mental health clients and their families a continuum of care and treatment, from traditional psychiatric services to innovative recovery programs, geared towards community reintegration. All facilities are operated on the basic premise that mental health issues are treatable. When pet therapy is brought into the center, all of the patients become very excited to interact with their new Furry Friend who will be giving them love and affection.

Cupertino Health and Wellness is located in a beautiful part of Cupertino. It is a residential facility plus a skilled nursing home. They provide many activities for the patients in addition to pet therapy visits. When Furry Friends comes to visit, seeing the animals puts a bright smile on the patients' faces. We are praised with many thank you's.

Welcome to the Reading Buddies program! We visit at the Cupertino Library, a member of the Santa Clara County Library System. This library is conveniently located off DeAnza Avenue near 280 in Cupertino. Pets and their child “buddies” meet in a room together. The Reading Buddies program looks for animals that enjoy staying very still (sit/stay or down/stay) and being in close contact with children for long periods of time. All pets must have passed the Reading Buddies evaluation class. The pets need to be comfortable being close to other pets but not distracted by them. Please take the Reading Buddies class, and come join us on a Reading Buddies team!

Driftwood Healthcare is a skilled nursing facility in Santa Cruz providing long term care for residents. Our team first visits in a common area where the residents can get acquainted with the animals. We then visit individual rooms where the responses are heartwarming. This site is particularly rewarding, as the patients are very appreciative of our visits.

Welcome to the Reading Buddies program! Join us and help children build confidence by reading to a furry friend. Furry Friends and their child “buddies” meet in the center of the library for one hour. Large dogs and their owners lounge on the floor, while smaller pets sit in laps or in a nearby chair. Lazy pets are ideal, as they must remain relatively calm while being read to in the proximity of other pets. We would love to have cats on our team too. All pets must have passed the Reading Buddies evaluation class. The team captain will provide photo bookmarks for the team members. Edenvale Library is conveniently located at the corner of Branham Lane and Monterey Road. Please take the Reading Buddies class, and join our team!