Who We Are Creature Comfort Pet Therapy differs from other organizations providing similar services in that we embrace a hands-on approach with our therapy teams and the places we visit. We work with each facility to help structure the visit to make it as effective and productive as possible. Certified therapy teams are able to choose from a variety of visits, and staff will make visit recommendations based on their interests and the energy level of their therapy animal. We have certified more than 400 pet therapy teams, including dogs, cats, rabbits, a goat, guinea pigs and a mini horse. Our volunteer teams provide approximately 300 visits each month to our partner facilities that include nursing homes, public and private schools, libraries, hospitals, children's services, hospice, mental health centers and veterans programs. Our History Creature Comfort Founders Joan Baer and Annie Murphy met while they were co-workers running a pet therapy program at a large animal welfare organization. During this time, they noticed the rising interest in pet therapy – both from pet owners wanting to get their pets certified and from facilities wanting animal visits – and made the decision to create an organization dedicated solely to the enhancement and provision of pet therapy services. Creature Comfort Pet Therapy was incorporated as a NJ non-profit in November 2011 and is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization. Joan and Annie together had many years of experience in not for profit management, puppy raising and training their own dogs. Volunteering Opportunities Every volunteer team that works for CCPT is regularly evaluated, certified, and mentored. Certified therapy teams are able to choose from a variety of types of visits, and staff will make visit recommendations based on a volunteer’s interest and the energy level of their pet. To date, CCPT has certified more than 450 pet therapy teams, including dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and a mini goat