Everybody deserves a Buddy!
Donate to the Petstock Foundation or buy a Buddy and support assistance-dog programs that help first responders, veterans and others in need of healing and connection.
Help us deliver hope where it's needed most
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All donations of NZD $5.00+ are tax deductible
Learn about our proud campaign partner
For 35 years, Canine Friends Pet Therapy has connected people in need with the comfort and joy of canine companionship. This nationwide New Zealand charity coordinates over 740 volunteers who share their well-behaved family dogs with those who can't have pets of their own. visiting aged-care facilities, hospitals, hospices, rehabilitation centres, and schools across 28 regions.
Their therapy dog teams bring proven benefits: reduced stress, improved mood, and meaningful connections for elderly residents, hospital patients, children, and staff. From dementia units to children's reading programs, Canine Friends creates moments of comfort and healing that enrich lives and strengthen communities throughout New Zealand.
The benefits of pet therapy
Research shows that simply patting a dog can reduce stress levels, calm a racing heart and help lower blood pressure. Memories of loved pets and happier times return, and the emphasis shifts from feeling unwell or lonely. A dog creates friendships, breaks down barriers and provides a kind distraction during anxious moments, helping people feel reconnected to the world.
Where could your donation make a difference?
Hospitals
We have had countless special moments and underestimated the therapeutic power of contact with a dog could bring to everyone she encounters, from the moment we arrive to when we leave. The entire time we are there, it is overwhelming how often we hear 'You have made my day' from patients, their visitors, and especially the nurses, doctors, and staff. Olive now visits twice weekly to share her energy across her five assigned wards, including ICU and ED staff wellbeing. Hugs replace words, and it can be very moving to see how valuable this brief interaction is in brightening people's day, sometimes in particularly challenging circumstances. I feel privileged to be part of Canine Friends Pet Therapy and rewarded by sharing the unconditional love Olive has to offer.
Hospital Volunteer, Shane with her Leonberger, Olive
Rest Homes
We have been having a great time volunteering, and I wanted to share a lovely moment we had recently: Kodie really helped a lady settle into care when she was brought into the dementia ward. The lady was distressed, crying, and quite confused. When Kodie came, the lady gave Kodie cuddles, and it cheered her up enough to get her to go to lunch.
Rest Home Volunteer, Emily, with her Border Collie, Kodie
Retirement Care Units
There have been many memorable visiting experiences. Perhaps my most special moments were our visits to a care unit to see a person with ‘locked-in syndrome’. This is severe paralysis, in which the person has no voluntary movement and lies passively. Whenever we visited, I would lift my dog up to eye level so that the person would stare straight at the dog. When we did that, a beautiful smile appeared on the patient’s face. The sight of a dog triggered recognition and happy memories. This person had worked with animals for much of their life. The care unit staff were amazed because they had never seen expressions of emotion from the ‘locked in’ patient, and they did not know that their patient still had access to recognition and underlying memories.
Retirement Village Care Unit (Hospital Level) Volunteer, Helen with her Cavoodle, Ciarrai