Hand-In-Paw Inc

Hand-In-Paw (HIP) is a human service organization founded in 1996 by its current Executive Director, Beth Franklin. Beth has more than 17 years of non-profit leadership experience, over 30 years of management experience and is nationally-registered with her own therapy animal (until December 2007, she had two therapy animals), providing animal-assisted interventions to children and youth in healthcare facilities, social service agencies and schools. In 1997 HIP incorporated and received its federal tax exempt status, and began to build a group of volunteer therapy teams to provide services.
HIP's first programs were visits to patients at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, residents at area nursing homes, and patients at Children's Hospital. As healthcare providers began to recognize patients' responses to HIP Pet Partners, demand for our services grew.

By 1999, the Board of Directors saw the need to develop a professional staff to support and expand the work of the organization. Over the last twelve years, HIP has grown to a full-time staff of eight and has trained and registered over 225 handler/animal Pet Partner teams to provide direct services. In 2007, HIP therapy teams visited over 50 different facilities in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, and St. Clair counties and made over 48,475 patient/client contacts.

The mission of Hand-In-Paw is helping children and youth heal and maximimize their potential through interactions with specially trained handler and animal therapy teams. We have innovative programs that meet evolving community needs instead of duplicating services already available. Volunteers must meet high professional standards, commit to thorough training, and must be evaluated with their animals to obtain national registration.

Hand-In-Paw fulfills its mission through three program areas:

1. Petscription provides therapeutic support to sick and disabled children and adults.

2. Pawsitive Living teaches positive life skills to children and youth at-risk

3. Sit, Stay, Read! engages reluctant readers in confidence-building read-aloud activities.