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).

New Dog Intake Assessment

Information on how dogs are assessed to be part of the B.A.R.K. program.

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Volunteer as a Handler

Learn more about what volunteering as a handler means.

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Volunteer as a student

Learn more about what volunteering as a student means.

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Donate

Donations big and small help keep B.A.R.K. programs and research going.

DONATE

Freya Green, B.A.R.K. Program Coordinator

Meet the staff

Have questions or need advice? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Contact Us

Meet the dogs

Learn more about the dogs and handlers that are at the heart of B.A.R.K. programs.

Dog profiles