The Healing Effects of Animals: Delta Society's 21st Annual Conference

Delta Society
Wednesday, 27 March 2002

Delta Society will convene its 21st annual conference, dedicated to the healing effects of companion, service and therapy animals on human health at the Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center, Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19. Post-conference courses are available May 20.

The conference offers educational sessions for current and future volunteers, healthcare professionals, educators, parents, service dog handlers and trainers. Session topics include: Animal-assisted Therapy in Disaster Settings, Using Therapy Animals to Improve Literacy, Work Experience for At-Risk Youth, Helping Children Recover from Pet Loss, and The Use of Shelter Dogs as Assistance Dogs for People with Disabilities. Attendees come to the national conference from across the U.S. and overseas.

Marty Becker, DVM co-author of Chicken Soup for the Animal Lovers Soul and author of The Healing Power of Pets will present individual Delta Pet Partners® therapy teams and service animal teams with awards for their outstanding achievement at the Delta Beyond Limits® awards retrospective on Saturday, May 18th.

The Beyond Limits Awards recognize companion animals that enrich the lives of the people they touch. Delta's Service Animal of the Year award recognizes animals that are specially trained to help people with disabilities to overcome barriers and achieve greater independence. Delta's Therapy Animal of the Year award recognizes those animals performing exemplary services in their communities, by working through Delta's Pet Partners Program and Animal-Assisted Therapy services. These people-animal teams make a difference by sharing their time and the love that results from the human-animal bond. The Awards are sponsored in part by Nabisco/Milk-Bone.

The conference is open to the public. Cost is $300 for registration by May 1; $325 after May 1, which includes both Saturday and Sunday sessions, complimentary continental breakfast, lunch both days and admittance to the Beyond Limits Awards banquet. Monday's training courses are an additional cost per session ranging from $30-$95 and will not include meals. Conference sponsors to date include Pedigree, PETsMART Charities, Johnson & Johnson and the Sammamish Kennel Club.

Delta Society celebrates its 25th anniversary as a non-profit organization that trains volunteers and screens their pets to visit hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other facilities. Training is also available for healthcare professionals looking to incorporate animal-assisted therapy into patient treatment. Established in 1977, Delta Society is a national organization with over 5,000 volunteers that work in all 50 states and 6 other countries. There are approximately 300 Pet Partners in the Puget Sound area.

For more information, or to contact Delta Society, see their website at: www.deltasociety.org