SHARE (Special Human-Animal Relationships)
Read the New York Times article on the many benefits of pet therapy.
For more than 20 years, The Marin Humane Society has been visiting convalescent centers to provide animal-assisted therapy. In 1987, the award-winning SHARE Program expanded its animal-assisted therapy to help seniors and people with AIDS who still live at home with their animal companions. SHARE volunteers walk dogs, groom cats, transport pets to the veterinarian or the groomer, and delivers free pet food and pet supplies to SHARE clients.
SHARE consists of several programs that provide a variety of services with the common goal of keeping good friends – people and companion animals – together. The love, support and companionship pets have to offer are invaluable, not to mention the medical findings that prove they are good for us, especially to someone who is ill or isolated. SHARE's services help people who have a great respect and love for animals maintain a special bond with pets. SHARE does this by:
- Providing pet care assistance to low-income seniors, persons living with HIV/AIDS and those receiving hospice services
(Side-by-Side) - Conducting adoptions for home-bound individuals (Special Adoptions)
- Collecting pet food donations to be distributed to persons in need
(Pet Meals on Wheels) - Bringing animals to visit people to assist with their care or education (Animal-Assisted Therapy)
- Helping children improve literacy skills
(Share A Book program)
SHARE not only provides all of these services to Marin residents, it also is a resource for many other organizations and individuals. Many requests have been fulfilled for materials and presentations at other organizations and, in 1989, SHARE was nationally recognized for receiving the Delta Society's Model Program Award.
Note: the SHARE Side-by-Side program provides assistance to Marin County residents who are low-income seniors, living with HIV/AIDS, or receiving hospice care. For people who don't qualify for SHARE, we have information about financial assistance for pet guardians and emergency veterinary assistance.
The Side-by-Side program is the largest part of SHARE and is currently assisting 220 clients with 150 dogs, 196 cats and 38 birds. Side-by-Side matches support, volunteer efforts and donated services with qualified pet guardians in need. Assistance is offered in the form of pet food, veterinary care, grooming, regular visits to clients by volunteers, transportation to the veterinarian or groomer, dog walking, litterbox cleaning, and emergency boarding of pets in the event of the hospitalization of clients. Networking with other service organizations in the county is vital to coordinating assistance to the growing number of older adults in Marin. There are 20 volunteers working in the Side-by-Side program.
Watch a video about the Side-by-Side program
Special Adoptions enable individuals who cannot come to The Marin Humane Society's adoption department the opportunity to bring a pet into their lives. In-home interviews and adoption counseling are provided and an appropriate pet is matched with the individual.
In the Pet Meals on Wheels program, volunteers deliver pet food to clients of the Side-by-Side program and other needy individuals. Donations of pet food are accepted at any time to support this vital part of the program.
Learn about how you can help a low-income senior stay with their animal companion through the Sponsor a Senior program.
SHARE's Animal-Assisted Therapy program is now visiting 75 different programs in Marin. The majority of people we visit are in senior communities, e.g. convalescent hospitals, nursing homes and senior day programs. SHARE volunteers bring their companion animals to work directly with staff assisting with therapy, in addition to simply brightening someone's day. SHARE has been a part of Marin General Hospital for over 20 years, bringing dogs to many departments including cardiac care, intensive care, the mental health crisis unit, and the senior day program. At the other acute care hospital in the county, Kaiser Hospital, SHARE visits both the inpatient hospital and the outpatient oncology department. We also receive referrals from in-home nursing programs and hospice and provide one-on-one visits to individuals in their homes.
Our volunteers and their dogs also work closely with teachers to help children with disabilities improve their academics. They provide animals to touch and to motivate students to focus on their lessons. SHARE also provides a special education program, The Kindness Club, to all the classes at the Marin Academic Center, the school for the Sunny Hills Children’s Garden program.
The SHARE a Book program allows children to read to dogs as a way to improve their literacy skills. The program is coordinated with teachers in reading programs in schools as well as with librarians. The library programs bring a new and fun way to enjoy books, while the school programs directly work with children who need additional support for their reading. SHARE a Book volunteers also work with individual children to enable them to become more confident readers. Studies show that canine companions can help struggling children improve reading skills. SHARE a Book volunteers work closely with teachers, reading specialists and librarians to create programs to fit their needs.
Learn more about the Share A Book program.
Become a SHARE volunteer
All volunteers in the SHARE program are required to attend a class. If the animal companion they want to volunteer with is not a dog, an individual interview/screening/training for animal and person is scheduled. Volunteers are then assigned to visit a program regularly. Some schedule visits on their own with staff at the program, while others are scheduled through the SHARE office.
The Your Dog to SHARE class is a 6 week class designed to prepare the volunteer and their dog to become an Animal-Assisted Therapy team. The class consists of learning to better understand the dog's body language, safety skills for the volunteer and their dog, mock visits with an introduction to equipment (i.e. wheelchairs, walkers, beds), work with a group of children, a panel discussion with experienced volunteers, homework that includes field trips and shadow visits, the Marin Humane Society's CGC (canine good citizenship) test and a graduation off-site at a senior community.
SHARE a Book with Your Dog is a 5 week class designed for volunteers and their dogs who want to participate in the SHARE a Book program. The class includes teaching the dog skills that enable them to be an integral part of the reading experience, tips on reading with children and practice with a group of children. This class also includes the Marin Humane Society's CGC (canine good citizenship) test.
