Get Involved

In order to meet the needs of students on campus wanting to connect with dogs and to ensure a deep pool of volunteers for Dr. Binfet’s research, B.A.R.K. certifies its own pool of volunteer handlers and therapy dogs. Doing community service within this context has proven to be a rich and rewarding experience for our volunteer handlers.

What we’re looking for

Both dogs and handlers are assessed by a panel of adjudicators trained to identify and evaluate a variety of traits known to characterize successful Animal-Assisted Therapy participants. We are thus looking for specific characteristics or qualities in both our handlers and in our dogs.

Your commitment

Volunteers are asked to commit to two visits per month to campus. B.A.R.K. appreciates and recognizes the busy lives of volunteers and affords volunteers flexibility in scheduling (e.g., volunteers can arrange with other volunteers to have their shifts covered in the event of a scheduling conflict).