North Star Therapy Animals

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
  • News & Events
    • 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!

    • News & Events

      • News
      • Events
  • 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 having  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 200 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.   We only mention this in the event that no teams contact you about visiting.  If you know someone who might be interested in becoming a Therapy Animal Team, please have them contact us at [email protected]

Next Steps

After submitting the “Request a Visit” form below,  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.  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.  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!

Descriptions of  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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 NSTA Charge for visits?

    NSTA 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 NSTA further our great work, please visit https://northstartherapyanimals.org/donate/
  • Visit Requests Outside the Twin Cities Metro Area

    The majority of NSTA 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 NSTA teams, can visit patients.
  • Max. file size: 300 MB.

 

North Star Therapy Animals

4 days ago

North Star Therapy Animals
www.fox9.com/video/1284020Rosie, Kimber and Dejlig are all walking this weekend to support the therapy animal training and registration provided by Pet PartnersWill you walk? Go here to sign up petpartners.org/events-fundraisers/wlpw/ ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals

6 days ago

North Star Therapy Animals
Get out this weekend and WALK. It's#WorldsLargestPetWalktWalkand a non-profit fundraiserPet PartnerstnersEveryone benefits from therapy animal visits - so let us Pet Partnerstners raise money to educate, train and encourageNorth Star Therapy Animalsimals teams!Go to petpartners.org/events-fundraisers/wlpw/ to learn how you can get out and walk and support our therapy animal efforts! ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals

6 days ago

North Star Therapy Animals
Join us on Saturday, Oct 7 at Southdale Center to read with or simply enjoy 12 North Star Therapy Animals representing a wide variety of breeds.We're on the first level, in front of the Apple Store from 1PM - 3PM ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals

6 days ago

North Star Therapy Animals
We have good boys in the WCCO & CBS News Minnesota studio! I repeat, good boys in the studio! 😍🐶 North Star Therapy Animals ... See MoreSee Less

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North Star Therapy Animals

6 days ago

North Star Therapy Animals
Lily is a North Star Therapy Animals that goes bananas when it comes to loving and caring for people.This Husky-Malamute mix brings a smile wherever she goes - look for her at an upcoming Pet Partners event! ... See MoreSee Less

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All North Star Therapy Animals are registered with Pet Partners.

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