Manor Care is a very nice 300-bed facility. This facility has a section for longer-term residents, a section for patients who are convalescing from recent medical care, and an Alzheimer's unit. Residents are delighted to see the animals; visits are conducted room-to-room, with a follow-up visit to an activity room if time permits. Both small and large dogs are welcome, but must be good with cats, as there are two cats on the team as well. Additional cats are also welcome, as well as other animals. Since this is a large facility, we are always looking for new members. All animals must be on-leash; many residents are restricted to beds, so small dogs should be able to be picked up and shown to the residents. Parking is in front of the facility on the street and is plentiful.

Maryknoll is a retirement community for the Catholic Foreign Missionary Society, missionaries who have served all around the world. The Furry Friends team meets with its charming and well-traveled residents in the small covered outdoor patio of the historic 1926 building, overlooking the rose garden. Dogs of all sizes are welcome, particularly if they’re good with being in close quarters with other dogs.

Merrill Gardens of Campbell is located at 2115 Winchester Blvd., Campbell. This is a new, luxurious, and modern senior housing facility. The appreciative residents and staff greet you when you visit for 30 minutes in the comfortable Garden House (for memory care residents) and 30 minutes in the main lobby with independent living residents. Genuine smiles make your visits especially meaningful and valued on the 1st Tuesdays. We also visit on 3rd Tuesdays. Please consider the possibility of meeting new friends when you join this Furry Friends team if you can commit to one hour each month on a Tuesday afternoon (or both Tuesdays if you wish)!

Merrill Gardens is a lovely new retirement community located in San Jose near 280 and Meridian. Furry Friends' visits take place in the main activities area with the Alzheimer's unit.

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 will take place in a large room so all pets should be able to be in close proximity to other pets. The visit is about an hour in length, with two sessions of reading to the pets.

Moldaw is an upscale retirement center in Palo Alto, close to Mountain View. Although most of the apartments are independent living, our Furry Friends visits take place at the Memory Center, a secured, warm and comfortable section on the 3rd floor. The team first visits the common area where residents can get acquainted with the animals. We then visit individual rooms where some of the residents are bedridden. Access to the Memory Center is secured through a pass given at reception. Free valet parking offered at the facility is highly recommended. The residents are very excited and eager to see our Furry Friends.

Welcome to the Reading Buddies program at the Morgan Hill Library, a member of Santa Clara County Public Libraries. This library is conveniently located at 660 W. Main Ave. in Morgan Hill. Reading Buddies is a program where children read books aloud to pets, to help increase their confidence and reading ability. The visits will take place in a large room so all pets should be able to be in close proximity to other pets. 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 pass our Reading Buddies evaluation class. This program is a lot of fun for both the pets and the children involved, and very rewarding for the volunteers. Consider taking a Reading Buddies Evaluation Class, and sign up for one of these exciting Reading Buddies sites!

The National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services (NPCRS.com) provides a continuum of comprehensive care and treatment during the two-week residential program for adults in a newly-renovated residence. The residence is located near downtown San Jose. Furry Friends volunteers and their dogs enjoy a nurturing environment for up to 14 residents who anticipate interacting with our dogs during our on-leash pet therapy visits. We gather either in an indoor cottage or outdoor secured patio. Furry Friends volunteers and their dogs meet with the residents who are accompanied by friendly and welcoming mental health staff personnel.

Pacific Hills Manor is a 100-bed facility in Morgan Hill offering a continuum of care from skilled nursing to long-term care. The average age of clients is around the late seventies. Most of the residents use wheelchairs and some are unable to leave their beds. The facility's goal is to improve the residents’ functional abilities and promote independence in the home-like setting. Activities are provided to meet the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of the residents. The residents really enjoy animals being brought into the facility for them to see and pet.

Palm Villas is a facility in Campbell with over 40 beds and offers specialized care to people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lewy-body and other dementia-related conditions. The home-like environment allows a level of independence within a safe and secure setting with 24-hour care from professional staff. The facility has a large, enclosed open-air atrium that is the perfect, relaxing setting for the residents. There are also two large birdcages with various types of small to medium birds for the residents to enjoy. The residents appreciate the calming presence of Furry Friends’ animals who bring them joy and happiness.

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System offers comprehensive health care services to veterans and non-veterans on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The VA staff members are outstanding; they enjoy our visits as much as the patients and their families! We visit the first 4 Mondays of each month. On the fourth floor, we visit the hospice unit and the PT/OT unit. On the third floor, we visit the ICU and staff there, and its waiting rooms. This is a room-to-room visit, though the dogs visit with people in front of the hospital, in the lobby and in the hallways on their way up to the floors. We also visit the psychiatric units, B and D, as well as the Spinal Cord Injury Unit (SCI) in separate buildings on the campus.

Furry Friends volunteers with their dogs meet outside the lobby then begin their visit. The dogs walk beside volunteers down the hallways and into patients’ rooms. Depending on the number of those present, volunteers might be divided into two smaller groups to spend quality time with patients and staff who anticipate the monthly visits. Conversations are friendly, light-hearted, and HIPPA-compliant with patients who are receiving medical and rehabilitative services. Furry Friends dogs focus on the patients and staff and receive much reciprocal positive attention.