Canine Assisted Rehabilitation for the Elderly founded by Dr. Julianne Davis, a veterinarian in Raleigh, C.A.R.E. NC is a program that allows shelter dogs to become therapeutic visitors to seniors in the community. This allows the dogs to continue to develop social skills around humans while also providing comfort and care to those in assisted living in the Raleigh area.
The idea first came to Dr. Davis earlier this year, and right now they are working on training enough dogs in order to visit five local assisted living facilities. In order to prepare more dogs Dr. Davis got into contact with Danielle Lindquist, a senior in zoology and the president of the Pre-Vet Club at North Carolina State. So far, members of the club have shown a great deal of interest in volunteering. The first interest meeting was attended by about ten students, and close to 100 are on the waiting list to take part.
Though still in its early days, C.A.R.E. NC hopes to continue providing its special brand of therapeutic treatments to the elderly living in Raleigh while also socializing canines and increasing their chances of finding a good home.
To read more about this program visit
Whoever was the first to come up with the idea of allowing dogs to visit hospitals, nursing homes, children’s centers, etc. really should get some sort of award or something. This is a fantastic idea. Great job C.A.R.E.!
I thought about doing this with my dog Sephi, but she really didn’t want to be one. Maya would enjoy it more, but we are still working on her manners. :0)
This is such a good idea. Whenever I play with my dog I cannot help but smile. If I am ever in assisted living, I would love to have a dog with me there as well, even if it is just for a moment. Hopefully they can do something like this in my area. Thanks for sharing.