Update on Response to Uvalde

In collaboration with our CARE partners PAWS for Service, 37 animal therapy teams have made 148 trips to Uvalde to provide animal-assisted therapy to the children attending the 5 schools open for summer school throughout the month of June. The teams included 34 dogs, 2 cats, and a rabbit. The photo here shows all of the animals involved. We have seen firsthand over the past 4 weeks the difference our animals have made and it has been difficult and gratifying work.

As summer school ends this week we will now be focused on supporting the Children’s Bereavement Center’s work in Uvalde as they set up a semi-permanent service there for families.

On 13 July we will have teams at the Uvalde Library for a children’s reading by one of our TASA members, Tracy Voss, of Crusty and His Red Sweater. Proceeds will help support the rescue work she does with TracyPawsRescue. We hope to see some of the children we have been working with in summer school there.

We are also planning to continue to support the schools as children return in the fall.

Our work has been supported by a grant from Puppies and Golf, which has allowed us to compensate teams for their gas and occasional hotel expenses. We are very grateful for their support and their recognition of the significance of our work.