Connecting Through Animals
At Furry Friends Animal Therapy, our sessions are designed to create calm, meaningful, and engaging experiences through safe and positive animal interactions.
We offer a variety of tailored sessions to suit different settings, needs, and age groups - from gentle small animal visits to larger outdoor experiences. Each session is carefully planned to ensure both participant wellbeing and animal welfare remain at the heart of everything we do.
Small Animal Sessions
Our small animal sessions provide calm, interactive experiences with a variety of friendly and carefully handled animals. These sessions are designed to be more personal, with a strong focus on one-to-one interaction, supporting individuals to engage at their own pace in a relaxed and supportive environment.
Participants have the opportunity to meet and interact with a range of animals, including sugar gliders, rabbits, skinnypigs, African pygmy hedgehogs, snakes, bearded dragons, giant African land snails, tortoises, and silkie chickens. Each interaction is guided to ensure it is safe, gentle, and suited to the individual.
These sessions offer a rich sensory experience, encouraging touch, curiosity, and connection, while supporting confidence, communication, and overall wellbeing.
All interactions are led by trained handlers, with a strong focus on safety, respect, and animal welfare.
Pony Visit
Our pony visits offer a unique and engaging experience, bringing a calm, well-trained miniature Shetland pony directly into your setting.
Our pony is fully trained and experienced in visiting a variety of environments, including indoor spaces where appropriate, and is comfortable using lifts and accessing different areas safely. This allows for close, meaningful interaction in a familiar and controlled environment.
These sessions also provide a gentle sensory experience, with opportunities for touch, connection, and calm engagement. The presence of the pony can help to create a soothing atmosphere, supporting relaxation, confidence, and emotional wellbeing.
All interactions are guided by trained handlers, with a strong focus on safety, wellbeing, and animal welfare.
Donkey Visit
Our donkey visits offer a calm and engaging experience, bringing a gentle, well-trained minature donkey directly into your setting.
Our donkey is experienced in visiting a variety of environments, including indoor spaces where appropriate. Sessions are carefully planned to ensure safe access and a comfortable setup, allowing for close, meaningful interaction in a familiar and controlled environment.
These sessions also provide a gentle sensory experience, with opportunities for touch, connection, and calm engagement. The presence of our donkey helps to create a relaxed atmosphere, supporting confidence, emotional wellbeing, and meaningful moments of connection.
All interactions are guided by trained handlers, with a strong focus on safety, wellbeing, and animal welfare.
Combined Animal Sessions
Our Combined Animal Experience offers the best of both worlds, bringing together the unique presence of our larger animals with the calm, interactive nature of our small animal sessions.
Sessions are typically divided into two parts. The first half focuses on either a pony or donkey visit, providing a larger-scale interaction with opportunities for connection, confidence building, and gentle sensory engagement. The second half transitions into small animal interactions, allowing for more personal, one-to-one experiences in a relaxed and supportive environment.
This structured approach creates a varied and engaging session, catering to different needs, preferences, and comfort levels. It allows participants to experience both the impact of larger animals and the quieter, hands-on interaction with smaller animals.
All sessions are carefully planned and guided by trained handlers, with a strong focus on safety, wellbeing, and animal welfare throughout.
Extended Animal Experience
Our Extended Animal Sessions are designed for settings that would benefit from a longer, more flexible visit, allowing more time for interaction, engagement, and meaningful experiences.
These sessions can include small animal visits, pony visits, donkey visits, or a combined animal experience, and are tailored to suit the size, structure, and needs of each setting. The extended format allows for groups to be split into classes or smaller groups, ensuring each participant has the opportunity for safe, supported interaction.
Sessions can be delivered in a rotation-style format or as a flexible drop-in experience, depending on your setting and preferences. Breaks are also built into the schedule to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of the animals is maintained throughout the session.
Maintaining the same calm, interactive and welfare-led approach as our standard sessions, these longer visits provide additional time for connection, confidence building, and deeper engagement with the animals.
All sessions are carefully planned and guided by trained handlers, with a strong focus on safety, wellbeing, and animal welfare throughout.
Learning Through Animals
Our Learning Through Animals sessions are designed to inspire curiosity, confidence, and understanding through hands-on experiences with a variety of animals.
We bring a carefully selected mix of species to each session, allowing individuals to learn about different animals, their care, behaviour, habitats, and welfare in an engaging and accessible way. Sessions can include small animals, reptiles, ponies, donkeys, or a combination, depending on your setting and preferences.
Each practitioner shares knowledge and experience with the animals they work closely with, creating a well-rounded and interactive experience that encourages questions, builds confidence, and deepens understanding of the natural world.
Sessions can be adapted to suit different ages, abilities, and environments, including schools, SEND settings, care homes, and community groups, ensuring they are inclusive, engaging, and suitable for all.
All sessions are delivered by trained practitioners and animal handlers, with a strong focus on safety, wellbeing, and animal welfare throughout.