Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (AACR) is a type of animal-assisted activity (AAA) that brings comfort to people during times of crisis. These crises can be natural (like wildfires or hurricanes), human-caused (like a mass shooting), or technological disasters (like transportation accidents). AACR works because animals can help people feel safe, calm, and supported. The presence of a therapy animal creates a sense of comfort and helps build trust with people affected by a crisis. AACR does not replace professional counselors or medical staff. Instead, therapy animals offer support in the early stages after a crisis by listening, showing empathy, and sharing the unconditional love that therapy animals can offer.
AACR is a Pet Partners, our parent organization, program. Many Dogs On Call members are AACR trained.
You can contact Pet Partners at https://petpartners.org/request-aacr-teams/
Or you can contact Dogs On Call at [email protected]