North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

Therapy Animal Services in Minnesota

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  • Who We Are
    • Therapy Animal Stars

      We are a group of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about therapy animal services and benefits they bring to individuals in our communities.

    • Who We Are

      • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • Our Services
      • Meet Our Stars
      • Facilities We Visit
  • Become a Team
    • Wanted! More Teams

      We are looking for more therapy animal teams to join us. If you are interested in forming wonderful friendships, making treasured memories & finding personal fulfillment then you are in the right place!

    • Become a Team

      • Getting Started
      • Membership
      • FAQ
  • Our Animals
    • Leaving Paw Prints

      A therapy animal is a specially trained animal that partners with its human handler to volunteer at a variety of facilities and events, bringing joy, comfort, and companionship to those they meet.

    • Our Animals

      • Meet Our Stars
      • What is a therapy animal?
      • Who Uses Therapy Animal Services?
      • FAQ
  • In the News
    • Therapy Animal Tales

      Read about the great work our teams are doing out in the field and stay up to date on what’s happening with the North Star Therapy Animals organization.

      Have a great story to share? Send us a note and let us know!

    • In the News

      • In the News
  • Request a Visit
    • We’d Love To Visit!

      Invite us over to bring happiness, companionship and courage to the people you work with.

    • Request a Visit

      • Request a Visit
      • Facilities We Visit
      • Our Services
  • Members
    • Membership Has Benefits

      Being a North Star Therapy Animal member has many benefits. You witness people make amazing transformations, your relationship with your animal grows and you also get to see what’s in this section!

    • Members

      • Member Login
  • Contact
    • Hello There!

      Want to learn more about North Star Therapy Animals? Fill out the contact form and we will get back to you.

    • Contact Us

      • Contact Form
      • Request a Visit
      • Become a Member
  • Crisis Response

Request a Visit

Thank you for your interest in havingย  a North Star Therapy Animal team(s) visit your facility. When submitting a request, please keep in mind:

  • NSTA is 100% volunteer run with many members who work full time
  • NSTA receives more visits than our 275 teams can fill.
  • NSTA is working hard to recruit new pet therapy teams so we have the ability to fulfill as many new requests as possible.ย  ย We only mention this in the event that no teams contact you about visiting.ย  If you know someone who might be interested in becoming a Therapy Animal Team, please have them contact us at [email protected]

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TO our 501c3 ORGANIZATION, PLEASE GO TO THIS LINK!

Next Steps

After submitting the “Request a Visit”ย form below,ย  a NSTA volunteer will email you in 2-3 business days with any additional questions or to let you know the request has been sent to our 200 active therapy animal teams in the Metro Area.ย  Teams will then decide which requests are best suited for them and their animal partner. Their decision is often based on a facility’s location, days of week/times requested, facility type, # of people to be visited, animal suitability, ability to take on a new visit requests, etc.

Interested teams will contact you directly to schedule a visit.ย  You and the NSTA team are responsible for determining and maintaining all schedules, communications, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information and help us assure that those with whom our teams will visit, as well as our NSTA teams themselves, are set up for successful visits.

We look forward to hearing from you!

BE SURE TO PUSH THE BLUE SUBMIT BUTTON at the very bottom of this page to ensure that your request is received

Descriptions ofย  Virtual and Touchless Visit Request options can be downloaded here.

Invite Us Over!

  • * - Required Field
  • Ex: Flying Eagle School, First Samaritan Hospital, Golden Wings Care Center
  • Please make sure you have checked with your building management, facility administration, etc to secure permission.
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • Knowing this helps NSTA teams be well prepared for their visit. Eg: we have a resident animal, we will have dogs from another group visiting too, we have birds in our lobby, some of our residents have animals, etc
  • e.g June 2, 10-noon, please note teams cannot visit more than 2 hours in one day. So additional teams are needed for visits longer than 2 hours.
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • EXAMPLE Brandywine Hospital Eating Disorder Unit is an inpatient unit. We serve male and female patients from the age of 13 on up. We treat patients with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Visits will take place in a common room. We are flexible on days/times of visits. Our patients are high functioning and again, would greatly benefit from some animal interactions.
  • For example: We have a resident dog in the building, Validated parking for volunteers. Volunteers need to attend an Orientation Session, have health screening and complete a background check prior to visiting, etc.
  • Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, doc, Max. file size: 300 MB.
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • Please review the following information before submitting your request

  • Home Visit Policy

    For in-home visits, we require that the patient/client has an established relationship with a hospital, long-term care or healthcare agency that has an existing in-home volunteer visiting program. For insurance and liability reasons, in-home visits need to be supervised by a representative of that facility or by a healthcare provider. This policy applies to private homes, apartments, assisted living apartments, etc.
  • Does North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners Charge for visits?

    North Star is a non-profit organization, and all of our members are volunteers. Therefore we do not charge for visits. However, donations to NSTA, used for additional member education and community outreach, are always welcome. If you would like to make a donation to help North Star further our great work, please visit https://northstartherapyanimals.org/donate/
  • Visit Requests Outside the Twin Cities Metro Area

    The majority of North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners teams live and visit in the Twin Cities metro area. We will share your request with our NSTA teams, but we encourage you to post your request to the Pet Partners website as there may be Pet Partner teams in your area who are not associated with NSTA. Pet Partners Website https://petpartners.org/learn/pet-partners-at-your-facility/add-a-volunteer-opportunity/
  • Request for visits with hospice patients or patients in the hospital

    Please request a therapy animal visit directly through the Hospital's or Hospice Agency's Volunteer Department as these facilities require specific orientations, background checks, health screening,etc. before volunteers, including North Star teams, can visit patients.
  • Backgound Checks

    All volunteers are registered with Pet Partners and are required to undergo a Background Check every two years. Pet Partners is committed to bringing safe visits conducted by highly qualified teams to all facilities. Many of our teams visit highly vulnerable populations, yet not all facilities have the resources to conduct background checks on teams. By having a background check performed as part of the Pet Partners registration process, facilities will have the assurance that volunteers registered with us have a background that does not preclude them from visiting at the time their acceptance letter is issued. The check is performed by Sterling Volunteers.
  • Max. file size: 300 MB.

BE SURE TO PUSH THE BLUE SUBMIT BUTTON

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

2 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
A perfect summer night in Shakopee, MN City Government #barkintheparkThank you Mary, Cheryl and Maggie for spreading the word on what #therapyanimals do! ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

2 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
A perfect summer night in Shakopee, MN City Government #barkintheparkThank you Mary, Cheryl and Maggie for spreading the word on what #TherapyAnimals do! ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

2 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
This North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners dog, BiBi went 'gravie' over a new friend Gravie at Gravie today.Even Health Benefits experts need a little animal love at work! ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

2 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
A successful Read to a Breed event at Southdale Center on Saturday! Despite the beautiful outdoor weather, many kids came to the mall to read to and/or visit Abby, Attax, Bergen, Dash, Izzy, Maddie, Millie, Opal, Oslo and Pushkin.#Happymomsday ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners

3 weeks ago

North Star Therapy Animals of Pet Partners
On Saturday, May 10 you can visit with 10 registered therapy animals at Southdale Center. - Children ages 3+ can read to an animal - Pet owners can learn about volunteering Anyone can come and experience the comfort and joy of spending time with and petting a cuddly and loving therapy animal. Our PPet Partnersregistered therapy animals volunteer at schools, libraries, hospitals, care centers and more.Meet us outside the Apple Store on level one! ... See MoreSee Less

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All North Star Therapy Animals are registered with Pet Partners.

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