About Us
“We met a man in the lobby who was visiting his teenage nephew on the 6th floor. He explained how much it would mean to his nephew to have a visit. Of course who could decline such a warm invitation? After we completed the pediatric floor visits we visited with the patient on the 6th floor. This young man was so pleased to have us chat with him as he pet and hugged the dogs. We actually spent a great deal of time in this room since he requested that we stay and meet his mom who was on her way to Spaulding. He made us promise to visit him next weekend, which of course we agreed to!”
The mission of Caring Canines is to provide exemplary volunteer visits with our dogs to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, schools, and residential programs in an effort to improve the quality of life and emotional health of those served. All Caring Canines visits are free-of-charge. With committed, trained volunteers, Caring Canines is able to expand the therapeutic role that our canine companions provide for those in need.
Caring Canines Visiting Therapy Dogs, Inc. is an all-volunteer, nonprofit canine pet therapy program serving the Boston area. Established in 2001, we currently have over 40 volunteer dog and handler teams and serve over 20 facilities on a regular basis.
We visit extensively within the route 95 corridor and from the northern cities of Reading and Stoneham, west to Sudbury and Natick, and south as far as Needham. The main visitation program consists of scheduled group visits with an average of four to six dogs at a facility. The visits last 30 to 40 minutes and take place in a community room where interested residents or patients have gathered together. In addition, Caring Canines has several special programs including: room-to-room visits in hospitals, visits serving special needs classes and individuals, and the Caring Canines Entertainment Team at Boston Children’s Hospital.
More information is available on our FAQ page. We also have links to several other MA therapy dog programs in case we are not a fit for you.
Caring Canines is not taking requests for new facilities at this time. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our program, we are not able to provide visits to individuals.