April 30 is National Therapy Animal Day, a day to celebrate the companion animals that volunteer in the community and help make Mercer Island a wonderful place to live.

Therapy animals and their handlers visit in hospitals, assisted living, schools, and hospice facilities. They lower blood pressure, improve mood, and help struggling readers gain proficiency. Therapy animals positively impact the lives of many people and are an asset to our community.

Carol Mahoney said she is fortunate to have volunteered with her cat Melanie. They have volunteered at care centers, hospice facilities, assisted living facilities, and preschools. Mahoney said it is deeply gratifying to do volunteer work that they enjoyed doing together.

The pair were registered with Pet Partners, a leading organization registering volunteer handlers and their companion animals as therapy animal teams. Pet Partners teams meet the highest standards for client safety and animal welfare.

On April 30, Mahoney asks the communty to take a moment to thank a therapy animal, and consider whether locals and their pets would enjoy this volunteer activity. On their website at www.petpartners.org, Pet Partners offers a quiz to determine if an animal might be suitable to be a therapy animal. Mahoney said she wants all therapy animals to enjoy their “job” as much as she and Melanie do.