When Texas communities experience untoward natural or man-made events that cause disruption and pain the presence of therapy animal crisis response teams can provide comfort, strengthen a sense of community, enhance coping, and facilitate responder interventions. Therapy Animals of San Antonio supports their CARE (Crisis Animal Response) Program in order to rapidly deploy specialized canine therapy teams across the state of Texas; as well as to support area schools during critical incidents. We are an active member of the San Antonio Area Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and an invited member of the International Association of Human-Animal Interactions Organization.   

The CARE Program adheres to national animal assisted crisis response standards. Teams are FEMA, Human and Animal CPR and First Aid certified, receive 10 classroom hours in disaster response and complete field training. Teams are compensated for training; as well as travel and lodging when deployed. Our CARE Teams are an identifiable, unified, professional group with all the supplies, equipment and operational support needed to organize, work and communicate under most crisis and disaster circumstances.

Examples of deployments include work with survivors from Sutherland Springs, the Travis Scott Concert in Houston and the shooting at Rob Elementary School in Uvalde.  We are exploring formal team training in grief related to the loss of pets as it seems a natural fit with what we already do and the American Red Cross has requested support in this area.