Pet Lovers with a Purpose

from New Life Journal -July 2008:

For Pam and Phil Hardin, it all started with Bubba, their beloved basset hound. The married couple always shared a love for animals, especially dogs, and were aware of the benefits pets could have on human health. So, when Pam, then an employee in the legal department at Mission Hospitals, was contacted about starting a pet therapy program in the hospital’s pediatrics unit, she was on board. After all, she knew Bubba would be a perfect therapist. Phil, a social worker for over 22 years, was on board to help those in need as well. The result? Paws with a Purpose, a pet therapy nonprofit organization founded by the couple that now has numbers of volunteers, two-legged and four-legged, helping out. While the inspiration for it all is now in doggie heaven, their two new basset hounds, Smudge and Dooley, are proudly following in Bubba’s footsteps.

What led you to form Paws with a Purpose, and what is the mission of the organization?
Pam: Bubba’s gift for this work inspired us to form the nonprofit. Our organization considers Bubba our founder, and he certainly became the organization’s four-footed ambassador as he made his rounds at Mission.

Our mission is to work with dedicated volunteers and their pets to provide animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy services to individuals of all ages with physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs in healthcare facilities and educational programs.

When did the organization first begin its work?
Paws with a Purpose was officially incorporated in June of 2002. Currently, 90 humans and 70 dogs provide scheduled visits to 10 areas at Mission Hospitals, remedial reading programs at two Asheville City Schools, special needs students at Buncombe County School’s Progressive Education Program, at-risk students at SUWS of the Carolinas, patients at CarePartners Rehabilitation Hospital, guests at the Lewis Rathbun Center, and residents at Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community and Eliada Homes.

What inspires you to do this work?
Pet therapy is a way for me to combine my love for animals with my administrative and leadership talents while making a difference in the lives of others. I don’t find the situations I’m faced with depressing, but rather uplifting and inspiring, as I’m amazed at the courage and grace our clients display when faced with their life challenges of disabilities and disadvantages, chronic illnesses, poverty, injuries and end-of-life situations. Doing this work is our calling, passion and purpose, but it’s not about us. It’s about our pet partners, Smudge and Dooley, and the clients they serve. In the words of one of our volunteers, “It’s the dogs who should be recognized. We just get them there. They do the excellent work.”

When are you the happiest?
Paws with a Purpose is truly my life’s passion. Outside of that, I’m happiest in an old pair of jeans and my favorite hiking boots with my dogs out on a trail!

What are some of Paws with a Purpose’s accomplishments of which you’re most proud?
The accomplishment I’m most proud of is the creation of a pet therapy endowment fund as part of Mission Healthcare Foundation’s comprehensive campaign to create a $10 million endowment fund for Mission Children’s Hospital by 2010. As Paws with a Purpose began with Mission pediatric patients, I’m thrilled to see its future assured by this endowment.