Every one of our programs fill a specific need at a specific time. As an organization, we frequently pivot to meet the ever changing needs of people and their dogs and to make sure our work is consistent with current canine science.
Below is a brief history of some of our past programs.
Through our service dog program, we upend society’s expectations about people with disabilities and their service dogs.
Thanks to a grant from Petco Love, three of our service dog handlers, all with different disabilities, got to tell their story about how their service dog changed their life.
“The impact of the service program that we have is much bigger than anyone could imagine because it’s not just the individual dogs and the individual people; their families get to see them thrive, the dogs are in communities that get to see them thrive, we get to work with shelters and see other animals thrive…”
We know that the bond between dogs and people cannot only be healing, it can be life changing.
Many of our dogs would spend several weeks receiving basic training at Rikers Correctional Facility in New York. The dogs lived with and were cared for by inmates.
There is research that shows that programs like PAWS reduce recidivism in jails and have positive mental health effects for both the dogs and the people involved.
We started Pets Together as a response to the pandemic. Many, especially those who live in housing facilities like nursing homes or long-term care, were facing dangerous increases in feelings of isolation and loneliness.
With Pets Together, we hosted video chats for those living in long-term care facilities so that they could interact with people and their pets.
The program has since spun off as its own entity and is run by Virtual Senior Center. You can find out more here.
Animal Farm Foundation provided innovative and accessible solutions to the barriers shelters face in sending dogs labeled “pit bulls” home faster. Through our four on-site, no- cost internship programs we supported the people who share our vision of a compassionate world where all dogs are treated as individuals.
Animal Farm Foundation (AFF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization built on the principle that all dogs are individuals. Our Foundation relies on science-based information about animal behavior and public policy, including breed-specific legislation and housing insurance discrimination, derived from our subsidiary National Canine Research Council. AFF’s team offers regional and national initiatives that support dogs and the people who care for them in their communities.
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Shelter/Rescue Registration: RR286
