Special Visits
Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services provides "Special Visits", one-time visits, throughout the South and East Bay Areas. The purpose of these visits includes Stress Relief, Health and Wellness, and Community events.
Our Mission Statement reads, "Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services' mission is to consistently facilitate the delivery of the love and affection of our volunteers and their pets. We enhance the lives and touch the hearts of people with special needs." Those requests that are not in line with our mission will not be accepted.
We ask that a Special Visit request be submitted at least 30 days before the event. Dates in May and December are high in demand, so, please submit your requests early to ensure your desired date. Furry Friends only schedules one visit a day. Requests made for Special Visits less than 30 days in advance may not be possible. Our Special Visits typically last one hour, although we can discuss variations. Our Special Visit team will include a Captain and team members with their Furry Friends. Furry Friends can include dogs, cats, and bunnies. Note, however, that most of our teams are composed of dogs only. We cannot guarantee that teams will contain animals other than dogs.
1. Fill out and submit the Special Visit Request Form. If you have questions about availability or anything else, email SpecialVisits@furryfriends.org.
2. Parking (Permits/Passes), maps, and other details must be provided in advance. Please choose a location for the visit to accommodate possible weather conditions and the number of animals requested.
3. Once organized, changes to the visit may lead to the cancellation of the visit.
4. Furry Friends cannot guarantee particular types of animals, or quantity of animals, to appear at a visit. If we cannot staff the visit, your deposit will be refunded.
5. We require a $200 application fee for each visit. We offer a 50% discount for: Public Schools (all levels); other public agencies (police, fire, libraries, etc.); charitable organizations (e.g. Second Harvest Food Bank, Red Cross, etc.); certain not-for-profit health care facilities/organizations (e.g. Pals programs, residential care facilities, some hospitals). The discount does not apply to: Private schools (all levels); for profit businesses/organizations; for-profit health care facilities. If it is unclear whether or not the organization qualifies for the 50% discount, the Furry Friends Board of Directors will make the final determination.
The fee is payable at the time of the application. After submitting the form, you will be transferred to pay online via PayPal. To pay by check, please fill out the form, print this page, and send with a check to Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services, P.O. Box 5099, San Jose, CA 95150. If your request is not approved, your fee will be refunded in full.
Guidelines for Requesting a Special Visit
Our Insurance Coverage
Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services maintains a $1 million insurance policy. It protects your staff and residents should one of our volunteers or their animals cause any damage. We are unable to add any individual site or organization as an additional insured to our policy. We will supply a "Certificate of Insurance” after visit approval upon request. Requests for a Certificate of Insurance should be made at least two weeks in advance of a scheduled visit.