Pet Partners (P.A.C.K.) program

As the 2021 recipient of The Broad View Fund grant, managed by the Main Street Community Foundation, Bristol FRCs are proud to offer the Pet Partners/P.A.C.K. Program.  P.A.C.K. (Protection, Awareness, and Connection for Kids) was created to recruit and support teams of pets and handlers to become qualified to visit students in our school system.  Pet/handler teams can be either community volunteers or school staff (district/principal's approval required).  

The social-emotional benefits of connecting animals and people together are well known.  However, there is a shortage of teams who are available to visit in schools during the day.  We designed the P.A.C.K. program to remove barriers, making it easier for teams to become trained, registered, and begin working with children in Bristol schools.

Pet Partners has set the gold standard in our country for training and registration of Therapeutic Animal/Handler teams.  More information about this wonderful organization is here :   https://petpartners.org/about-us/who-we-are/

Want to get started?  

You must notify Bristol FRCs that you would like to be considered for the program.  Please complete our Interest Survey to get started.

To become a registered team, follow the process outlined below.

• There is an online Handler's course that is required to begin. You first  need to register as a future volunteer on the Pet Partners website to gain access to this area of the website.  https://petpartners.org/volunteer/login/

• Optional- You can choose to sign classes at Camp Canine in Bristol to prep your dog for the assessment. Expectation of the dog   This is not a requirement.  You can practice on your own or with any trainer of your choice; just make sure they are very familiar with the requirements of a Pet Partners evaluation.  

• Have a form signed by your vet, that your dog is in good health (Link to Form Form for your Vet to fill out )

• Sign up and take the assessment with your dog (on Pet Partners website under your Future Volunteer tab)

• Once you pass the assessment you will be insured under an umbrella therapy pet insurance through Pet Partners.  All parts of the registration process are eligible for reimbursement, for as long as funding is available.  

Info about the evaluation requirements are attached (Part 1 and  Part 2).  There is also a video of one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D2BsTjpzxA and a Pet Partners info link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hGvsLzg6IY

*This information is subject to change; please thoroutghly review the information on Pet Partners' website to ensure that your understading of the requirements is up to date.

Registration process with Bristol Public Schools:

If you wish to bring your dog to a school which has not yet established their program, the principal needs to contact Deputy Superintendent Mary Hawk to have approval to start the process before you can visit there.

If an existing school (currently Greene-Hills and Mountain View), send the following to Sandra Godin (sandragodin@bristolk12.org):

• Copy of dog license

• Copy of signed veterinarian form

• Copy of liability insurance 

• Copy of your registration confirmation letter (the actual badge takes 7-8 weeks to come in by mail)

• Volunteer application (see attached)

• Volunteer background check form (see attached)

• Your intro letter (see sample for you to update/modify  with your own info)- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kXMzFH7rS3FaouRdz7XqYaZZCQUqENR3ArGMhcgcg3s/edit?usp=sharing

• Your receipts (to request reimbursement)