About us

Pets As Therapy (PAT) is a national charity powered by more than 6,000 dedicated volunteers and their much-loved companion animals. Every day, our volunteers bring comfort, confidence and connection to people in schools, hospitals, care homes and community settings across the UK.

From a child finding the courage to read aloud to a PAT dog, to a hospital patient smiling for the first time in days, our visits create “moments of magic” that can transform how someone feels. Our Read2Dogs programme helps children build literacy skills and self-belief. Our visits to older people reduce loneliness and spark memories. In healthcare settings, PAT teams provide calm, reassurance and emotional support to patients, families and staff.

Although our visits are delivered by volunteers, it takes significant behind-the-scenes work to recruit, assess, match and support every team, respond to enquiries, ensure safeguarding and compliance, and match volunteers safely with establishments.

With your support, we can reach even more people, grow our volunteer community and multiply the joy. Together, we can ensure that a friendly paw, a wagging tail and a warm welcome are there for everyone who needs them most.