PALS Pet Access League Society

PALS Pet Access League Society is a non-profit, registered, charitable organization located in Calgary, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of individuals through pet therapy. It began under the auspices of the Calgary SPCA in 1982 and became a separate organization in 1985. PALS currently has three paid employees and is governed by a board of up to 15 directors.

PALS is currently funded completely by private and corporate donations and by numerous fundraising events held throughout the year.

Volunteers have always been the backbone of PALS and currently there are over 450 volunteers that assist with keeping PALS up and running. This includes approximately 400 who visit with their four-legged pals (who include dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs). These volunteers form 75 teams and on a pre-set schedule visit over 60 facilities including hospitals, long and short-term care, nursing homes, schools, libraries, emergency and domestic violence shelters, addiction and mental health centres, young offender centres and the airport (and the list continues to grow). Volunteers visit at each facility for up to 1.5 hours during each scheduled visit. Depending on the type of facility, the visit may entail going room to room to visit the residents, or everyone could be in a common area. PALS is also visits regularly at palliative/hospice care units, but is also on an on call as needed basis.

All PALS programs are provided free to the clients and facilities we serve. Currently we have five main programs: Pet Visitation Therapy Program, Story PALS, Puppy Rooms, Pre-Board Pals and PawsitivePALS.