Our PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) Therapy Dog teams visit Orange County residents in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, hospices, schools and even John Wayne Airport to provide affection, comfort and love.

We are a 100% volunteer-supported program consisting of handlers and their dogs in Orange County, California. Go to our program overview page to learn more about how PAWS Therapy Dogs are helping people through Canine Literacy, Kindness Kids, PANDA, and AirPAWS.

Volunteering as a PAWS Therapy Dog team

Would you like to share your dog with members of the community, helping to bring smiles, cheer and help educate the next generation of animal lovers? Do you have time each month to give back to the Orange County community? OC Animal Allies would love to have you join its team of PAWS Therapy Dogs volunteers!

Applicants over 18 years of age who have a well-behaved and compatible family pet dog are welcome to learn more about how to become a member of our PAWS Therapy Dogs team!
A $45 organization membership fee will be collected at orientation and if you and your dog pass the evaluation, there will be an initial Program fee ranging between $75 and $110 which includes program registration and onboarding, an OC Animal Allies volunteer manual, T-shirt, Dog Bandana and PAWS ID tag for your dog.
All PAWS Therapy Dogs Program participants must complete the multi-step process to be eligible for the assessment.
Upon successful completion of the assessment and evaluation process, volunteers must successfully complete probation and training periods at a probation facility location.
Advanced programs such as PANDA and the AirPAWS units are by invitation to tenured, proven teams who fit the needs of the program and meet eligibility requirements.
Please see important program waitlist information below

Questions? Email us at info@ocanimalallies.org .

The COVID-19 Pandemic created a very large backlog in applications. We have begun onboarding, training and testing for new volunteer teams! Please know that we are working hard to bring thru very long lists of volunteers, and we are holding multiple dates and times in an effort to get caught up.

Please note that we plan on being back to a regular schedule and expected wait by the Spring of 2023. Until thin you can anticipate 4-5 month wait to be able to assessed for the program. There are many moving parts to our program. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to get caught up.

Please complete the following application to be added to our future program list.

Step 1 of 3

New PAWS Volunteer Team Orientation List
Please complete the following form so that we can add you to the OC Animal Allies PAWS therapy dog program list. Please note that at this time there is still a waiting period of up to 3-5 months. We are conducting orientations, training and testing regularly and hope to be caught back up by the spring of 2023.
I understand there may be a waiting period of up to 6 months and wish to be added to the waiting list.*
- Continue to Form

Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address City State ZIP Code
Cell Phone*
Email*
Enter Email Confirm Email

About your Dog
Dog's Name*
Dog's age*
How old is your dog?
Breed of Dog*
Is your dog any of the following?*
- Emotional Support Dog (ESA)
- Service Dog
- Other (Service animal or other designation)
- None of the above, family pet
Sex of dog:*
- Male
- Female
Is your dog spayed or neutered ?*
- Yes
- No
Do you have experience with another pet therapy program or group? If so please provide details.
Briefly tell us why you are interested in joining OC Animal Allies PAWS therapy dog program and how you heard about us?*
Comments
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