Pet Visiting K9 Assessment Day

The Pet Visiting Program

At the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA, we believe that pets have an innate ability to bring out the best in all of us. Our beloved Pet Visiting Program plans to do just that by sharing the healing presence of pets!

The Pet Visiting Program is designed to provide fun and safe interactions with HBSPCA volunteers and their pre-assessed resident pets. Volunteer teams are paired with facility locations throughout Hamilton and Burlington for a monthly or weekly visit with their residents, program participants, students, staff and volunteers. Each scheduled visit lasts about an hour and can include individual visits with the Pet Ambassador or visiting with a larger group (up to 20 people/visit).

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How to get Started

We are looking for new Pet Visiting Volunteers and Pet Ambassadors; could you and your pet be the perfect pair we are looking for? As a Pet Visiting Volunteer, you will be a part of the HBSPCA family with many rewarding opportunities to visit a variety of facilities with a flexible schedule.

We invite you to start the onboarding process by completing our 'Pet Visiting Self-Screen Quiz' to see if your pet could be a good fit for the program. While dogs are our most common Pet Ambassadors, we welcome any friendly and social pet to apply to the Pet Visiting Program!

Our Pet Visiting Ambassador animals make a huge impact in the lives of those they visit and we at the HBSPCA thank you for considering us as you look to share your valuable time.

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What Happens During the Assessment Day?

Join us for our next Pet Visiting Assessment Day on Saturday, May 31st, where we evaluate potential volunteers and their pets to determine if they’re a great fit for the Pet Visiting Program!

While the Pet Visiting Program is open to all types of pets, this upcoming Assessment Day will only include dogs, to ensure the safety of all potential Pet Ambassadors. If you are interested in joining the Pet Visiting Program with another species (feline, rabbit, guinea pig, etc.) we encourage you to still apply, and a member of the Pet Visiting team will contact you as well!

The assessment day is organized with the support of our expert dog trainers, K9 Principles, with each assessment taking 20–30 minutes and focusing on assessing your pet's overall temperament, friendliness, and behaviour.

During the assessment, we’ll observe how you and your dog react to a variety of situations and stimuli, such as:

• Interaction with a friendly stranger
• Sitting calmly for petting
• Reaction to other dogs
• Navigating through crowds
• Basic obedience and response to commands

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What Happens After the Assessment?

Pass: If you and your pet pass the assessment, you’ll be welcomed into the Pet Visiting Program! You and your pet will be assigned to a color code group based on the assessment, which helps us match you and your pet with the right facilities based on demographics (children, adults & students, seniors, or everyone). Before you leave, we’ll provide you with all the necessary paperwork and walk you through the next steps for onboarding into the Program.

Fail: If you and your pet do not pass, you’ll receive feedback from the team along with some tips and tools for where to improve. We encourage you to work on the areas highlighted during the assessment and you are always welcome to return for another assessment in the future.

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Join us in making a difference!

Take the 'Pet Visiting Self-Screen Quiz' today to find out if your pet has what it takes to be a perfect fit for our volunteer Pet Visiting Program. You and your furry friend could brighten someone’s day—get started now and help us bring joy to those in need!

We look forward to seeing you and your pet at the assessment!