Welcome and thank you for your interest in our PALS for Seniors Animal Assisted Activity program.

Our online class will provide you with specialized background and training to prepare you to do Animal Assisted Activity (AAA). Enrolling in the class will help you focus your interests into specific areas, help you identify ways you can began AAA, plus provide you with a certificate to give your work credibility. Most importantly, it will connect you with an online network of people who are doing this same type of work. By completing this class you are preparing yourself (the handler) to work as a team with your animal. You and your dog will complete the ReCHAI PALS for Seniors AAA Behavior Test by a team tester in your home area. You will then complete our on-line form to receive your ReCHAI PALS for Seniors identification badge and tag for your animal. After you complete the class and begin making visits you will report your visits online and continue to network with our other graduates. This will provide support for your work and you will be joining a group of friends with whom to share your experiences.

Are you ready to learn more about doing Animal Assisted Activity visits to elders in the nursing home? Is this an activity that you and your dog would enjoy as a team? The word "team" is the essential component to AAA. Handler and dog both need to enjoy the activity to be successful and find fulfillment in AAA visits. If you are ready to begin, please complete the online application and request a criminal background check and you will soon be enrolled in our online program to prepare you and your dog to do these visits.

We welcome you to a family of people who are interested in helping others through Animal Assisted Activity!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the staff of the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction (ReCHAI).

Questions or comments concerning this site should be directed to rechai@missouri.edu.