Medical School Visits - Tri-State Canine Response Teams visit with local medical students for de-stress sessions at exam time. The students appreciate the chance to hug a dog and talk to a handler as relief from the pressures of studying.

Tri-State Canine Response Team Visits to Mental Health, Residential Facilities

Advocating for good mental health is a primary goal of Tri-State. As a result, we volunteer with many programs that do the same. Some of our visits are in person, some on zoom and some a combination of both. Visits are planned for twice a week. Others are monthly.

Behavioral Health Outreach Program - Tri-State Canine Response Teams zoom with a psychiatric nurse and her clients. We discuss information about the dogs, their pets and questions about care and grooming. We also support a topic the patients are working on, such as sharing how our dogs relax after an in-house discussion on relaxation. The patients have named one of our dogs, shared in birthday parties and judged costume contests during these visits.

Boarding Home Outreach Program – Tri-State Canine Response Team members partner with a group home for men in the area by planning and participating in activities such as bingo, ice cream parties and movie nights with the residents.  A local Girl Scout troop supports our program by providing holiday treats, socks and personal care items, and gifts for the residents throughout the year.

Assisted Living and Rehab Facilities  Tri-State Canine Response Team partners with 6 local facilities to provide visits to residents. Prior to Covid, the visits were in person and provided the residents an opportunity to interact with various teams. The residents frequently recall stories about dogs that they owned or knew. During Covid we wanted to maintain the connects but were not able to go into the facilities. Our teams provided services through "puppy parades" and Zoom visits.