Furry Friends Family
Behind every visit is an incredible group of carefully selected therapy animals who truly make Furry Friends what it is.
Each one is chosen for their calm temperament, confidence, and natural ability to connect with others. Every animal brings something unique, whether that’s creating moments of calm, encouraging interaction, or simply brightening someone’s day.
They are a huge part of what makes each session so special, and the connections they create with people are something we are incredibly proud of.
Buttercup
Our absolutely beautiful miniature Shetland therapy pony. Buttercup brings a calm and reassuring presence to our sessions. She is well-trained and experienced in visiting a variety of settings, including indoor environments, and is known for her patient and friendly nature.
Buttercup is confident using lifts and enjoys being able to visit those who are bedbound, helping to ensure that everyone can be included and experience her calming presence.
She enjoys close interaction and is a favourite for creating special, confidence-building moments. Her calm temperament makes her especially suited to therapeutic and sensory-based sessions, where she helps to create a relaxed and engaging atmosphere.
Eddie
The most gentle donkey ever, Eddie. He is a newer member of the Furry Friends family. He has a calm and friendly nature and is gradually building his experience within our sessions, taking everything in his stride.
Eddie enjoys quiet, one-to-one interaction and brings a naturally grounding presence, helping to create calm and meaningful moments. As he continues to grow in confidence, he is carefully supported and guided in a range of settings to ensure his comfort and wellbeing at all times.
His gentle temperament makes him a lovely addition to our sessions, offering a different kind of connection that many people find both soothing and engaging.
Audrey
The sweetest sugar glider, a small but incredibly unique member of the Furry Friends family. With her curious nature and gentle personality, she brings something truly special to our sessions.
Audrey is handled solely by her primary handler, Imogen, ensuring her comfort and wellbeing at all times. Interaction is gentle and guided, with opportunities for a light one-finger touch of her soft fur when appropriate, allowing individuals to experience a connection while respecting her needs.
As a nocturnal species, Audrey offers a fascinating educational experience, helping people to learn about different behaviours, habitats, and care requirements. She is often seen enjoying one of her favourite treats — a jelly pot — which always captures attention and brings a little extra joy to the session.
Mistletoe (Skinnypig herd)
The skinny pig herd, a unique type of guinea pig known for their hairless appearance and wonderfully soft, warm skin. Despite their unusual look, they are incredibly gentle, friendly, and quickly become a favourite in our sessions.
Skinnypigs are well suited to calm, hands-on interaction and absolutely love snuggles, often settling in comfortably during gentle handling. Their warm skin and distinctive feel create a rich sensory experience, making them especially beneficial within therapeutic and wellbeing-focused sessions.
They also provide a great opportunity to learn about different types of animals, how they are cared for, and what makes each species unique. Their curious and affectionate nature helps to encourage confidence, connection, and positive engagement.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Jack
Our amazing giant bunny who never fails to capture attention with his impressive size and gentle nature.
Despite being much larger than a typical rabbit, Jack is incredibly calm, friendly, and loves being held like a baby, happily settling in and soaking up all the fuss and attention. His soft fur and relaxed temperament make him perfect for gentle, hands-on interaction, often creating a real sense of comfort and connection.
Jack’s size makes him especially memorable, offering a unique experience that sparks curiosity and conversation. He is a wonderful way to introduce people to different types of animals, while encouraging confidence, engagement, and positive interaction.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Flopsy & Mopsy
The mini lop duo, loved for their soft fur, floppy ears, and gentle, affectionate nature.
These two enjoy calm, hands-on interaction and are very comfortable being held and stroked, making them perfect for relaxed, one-to-one engagement. Their smaller size and sweet personalities make them especially popular with those who may feel a little unsure around larger animals.
Flopsy and Mopsy bring a sense of comfort and calm to sessions, often helping to build confidence and encourage gentle interaction. Their curious and friendly nature makes them a joy to spend time with, creating lovely, meaningful moments of connection.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Teddy
Teddy is our gorgeous rescue bunny, loved for his wonderfully fluffy coat, gentle nature and incredibly affectionate personality. You can read all about Teddy’s story and how he came to us over on our blog!
Since joining our animal family, Teddy has settled beautifully and become a much-loved member of the team. He has also formed an extra-special bond with Animal-Assisted Therapy Practitioner Imogen’s daughter, Eliza, who he absolutely adores.
Teddy absolutely loves attention and is always happy to receive plenty of fuss, strokes and snuggles. He is very comfortable with calm, hands-on interaction, and his super-soft fluffy coat makes spending time with him a lovely sensory experience.
His gentle and affectionate nature makes Teddy especially lovely for relaxed, one-to-one engagement. He can help people feel comfortable and confident around animals while encouraging gentle handling, kindness and respect.
As a rescue bunny, Teddy also provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce conversations around animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, compassion and giving animals the time, care and love they deserve.
Teddy brings a wonderful sense of comfort and calm to sessions, and his love of fuss and cuddles helps create some really lovely, meaningful moments of connection.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and Teddy’s welfare and comfort at all times.
Dory
Tilly is our beautiful Greek tortoise who joined the Furry Friends family at the beginning of July 2026, after we were asked to take her in. She hadn’t been happy living in a tank, so following a period of quarantine to make sure she was healthy, Tilly moved into her lovely outdoor home with plenty of fresh air, natural sunlight and space to explore.
Since joining us, Tilly has been absolutely fantastic on our Furry Friends Animal Therapy visits and has quickly become a firm favourite. She is incredibly friendly, curious and full of character... One thing everyone soon discovers about Tilly is just how much she LOVES her food!!
If she could eat for England, she absolutely would! Her determination to find the next tasty leaf or weed never fails to make people giggle and is a brilliant way of encouraging interaction and conversation during visits.
Her calm, steady nature also makes Tilly wonderful for gentle, hands-on interaction. For those who may feel unsure around furry, fast-moving or larger animals, she offers a completely different and often less overwhelming way to experience the joy of spending time with an animal.
Tilly creates some fantastic opportunities for learning too, from discovering how tortoises use their shells and exploring their senses, to conversations about reptile care, natural diets, habitats, responsible pet ownership and animal welfare.
She might travel at tortoise pace, but her personality certainly doesn’t. Tilly has well and truly found her place within the Furry Friends family.
All interactions with Tilly are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and Tilly’s welfare and comfort at all times.
Tilly
Our Horsefield tortoise, a calm and fascinating member of the Furry Friends family.
Dory is known for her gentle, steady nature and offers a wonderfully grounding presence within sessions. She enjoys exploring at her own pace, allowing individuals to observe and engage in a calm and relaxed way.
Dory is slightly smaller than expected for her species, which makes her a little extra special. She provides a great opportunity to learn about reptiles, their environments, and how they are cared for, helping to spark curiosity and understanding.
Her slow movements and quiet nature create a peaceful, sensory experience, encouraging patience, observation, and gentle interaction.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Sid & Bob
These gentle creatures move slowly and peacefully, offering a wonderfully relaxed and grounding experience. They are perfect for encouraging patience, observation, and a different kind of interaction compared to more active animals.
Sid and Bob provide a unique sensory experience, with the opportunity to gently observe and, where appropriate, feel their smooth shells and slow, careful movements. They are a great way to introduce people to invertebrates in a positive and engaging way.
Their unusual appearance often captures attention straight away, helping to build confidence and interest, especially for those who may not have encountered animals like this before.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Smokey
He is super calm and a very easy-going Bearded Dragon and comfortable being handled, making him a great introduction to reptiles for those who may feel unsure. His gentle nature allows for calm, supported interaction, helping to build confidence and curiosity in a safe environment.
He enjoys sitting quietly and taking everything in around him, often becoming a peaceful and grounding part of the session. His unique appearance and texture also provide an interesting sensory experience, encouraging gentle exploration and engagement.
Smokey offers a fantastic opportunity to learn about reptiles, including their behaviour, habitats, and care, helping to create a deeper understanding of these often misunderstood animals.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Monty
A ball python, that everyone (even those who are scared) end up falling completely inlove with. As a calm and gentle reptile who helps introduce people to snakes in a safe and positive way this young man is a huge part in every visit.
Monty is known for his relaxed temperament and is comfortable being handled by his experienced handler. Interactions are always carefully guided, allowing individuals to observe and, where appropriate, take part in gentle, supported contact.
He is well suited to working with individuals who may feel anxious or unsure around snakes, including those with fears or phobias. Sessions are always approached at a comfortable pace, helping to build confidence gradually in a calm and supportive environment.
Monty offers a unique opportunity to learn about reptiles, including their behaviour, habitats, and care, while also encouraging curiosity and understanding. For many, meeting him becomes a positive and confidence-building experience.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Muffin
Our very own fluffy cloud!
Otherwise known as Muffin, our gorgeous Ragdoll cat. Bornc 20th January 2026. With his incredibly soft coat, gentle nature and complete inability to understand the concept of personal space, Muffin has become a very special member of the Furry Friends family.
Muffin chooses to be close to people at all times and is regularly described as an extra limb. Whether he’s settling beside someone, climbing onto a lap or simply making sure he is right in the middle of whatever is happening, Muffin loves companionship and being part of the moment.
He is also certainly not your average house cat! Muffin is completely accustomed to wearing his harness and lead and loves getting out and about. He confidently goes on walks, explores new surroundings and, most importantly, likes to say hello to everyone he meets!
Even on his days off from Furry Friends visits, the adventures don’t necessarily stop. Muffin regularly joins his doggy sisters on their “dog walks”, happily heading out alongside them on his harness and lead. This has helped make exploring different environments and meeting new people a completely normal part of life for him.
His calm, affectionate and confident temperament has made him absolutely fantastic during our Animal-Assisted Therapy visits. His quiet companionship can provide a wonderfully reassuring presence, while his sociable and curious side often encourages interaction, conversation and plenty of smiles.
Ragdolls are known for their affectionate, easy-going personalities, and Muffin certainly lives up to his breed’s reputation... although he still has plenty of cheeky young-cat personality underneath all that fluff!
Muffin has been carefully introduced to therapeutic environments from a young age, with his experiences gradually built around his confidence, comfort and individual needs. His welfare always comes first, and he is given the opportunity to choose how and when he interacts.
His affectionate personality, confidence around people and genuine desire to be involved have made him a much-loved member of our therapy animal team, bringing warmth, comfort, laughter and meaningful moments of connection wherever he goes!
All interactions with Muffin are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and Muffin’s welfare, comfort and choice at all times.
Suzy
Meet Suzy, our beautiful silkie chicken, known for her incredibly soft, fluffy feathers and calm, gentle nature.
Suzy is very relaxed during sessions and enjoys being held and stroked, making her a lovely addition to calm, hands-on interactions. Her unique texture creates a soothing sensory experience, often bringing comfort and curiosity to those meeting her.
She also has a bit of a funny side and quite often thinks she’s a parrot, happily perching on shoulders and taking in everything going on around her.
Suzy offers a wonderful opportunity to learn about different types of animals and how they are cared for, while also encouraging gentle handling, confidence, and connection.
All interactions are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and animal welfare at all times.
Nugget
Meet Nugget, our wonderfully fluffy USA Bantam Silkie cockerel!
When we say fluffy, we really do mean fluffy! USA Silkies are bred for particularly abundant feathering, giving Nugget his extraordinary cloud-like appearance and making him noticeably fluffier than a more traditional European-style Silkie, like our lovely Suzy.
Nugget is also a little bit of an exception to the norm. As a cockerel, you might expect him to be more territorial or wary of people, but Nugget is an incredibly friendly, sociable little character. Having been raised around people from a very young age, he is extremely accustomed to human company, handling and plenty of fuss.
He is happy being cuddled and stroked and absolutely loves being involved in whatever is going on around him. His friendly temperament has made him a wonderfully unusual addition to our Animal-Assisted Therapy visits — after all, it’s not every day you get to have a cuddle with a cockerel!
His incredibly soft, silk-like feathers provide a completely different sensory experience from our furry animals. Many of the people we visit have never had the opportunity to get so close to a chicken before, and Nugget’s enormous fluff, feathered feet and fabulous hairstyle are usually brilliant conversation starters.
Of course, being a cockerel, Nugget still has plenty of personality! He is confident, curious, cheeky and incredibly entertaining. He certainly knows how to make his presence known and his funny little mannerisms regularly have everyone laughing.
Nugget also gives us some fantastic opportunities to challenge misconceptions about cockerels. While temperament varies enormously between individual birds, Nugget is a lovely example of how positive experiences, appropriate handling and respecting an animal’s individual personality can help build trust between animals and people.
He also helps us introduce conversations about chicken behaviour, poultry welfare, different breeds, feathers, natural behaviours and the important role cockerels play within a flock.
When he’s not out on visits, Nugget gets plenty of time to simply be a cockerel... scratching, pecking, foraging, "cocka-doodle-doing", exploring and getting up to the usual chicken mischief. His therapy work is just one part of his life, with his welfare and opportunity to express natural behaviours always coming first.
With his enormous fluff, friendly nature and larger-than-life personality, Nugget really is one of a kind and brings laughter, curiosity, sensory engagement and some wonderfully memorable moments to the Furry Friends family.
All interactions with Nugget are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and Nugget’s welfare, comfort and choice at all times.
Popcorn
Meet Popcorn, our beautiful USA Bantam Silkie hen and Nugget’s sister! Just like her brother, Popcorn has the incredible extra-fluffy feathering that USA Silkies are known for, giving her that unmistakable little cloud-on-legs appearance.
Popcorn and Nugget have grown up together and have been raised around people from a very young age, so human interaction, handling and being part of everyday life are all completely normal to her.
While Nugget might bring the big cockerel personality, Popcorn has a lovely character of her own. She is sweet, gentle and inquisitive, and her wonderfully soft, silk-like feathers make interacting with her an amazing sensory experience. There really is nothing quite like stroking a Silkie for the first time!
Popcorn is also fantastic for introducing people to chickens in a way they may never have experienced before. Rather than simply seeing poultry from a distance, participants can learn about her feathers, feet, behaviour and body language while discovering just how much personality these little birds can have.
Having Popcorn and Nugget together also gives us some brilliant opportunities to explore the differences between hens and cockerels, while showing that every chicken has their own individual temperament and personality.
Popcorn can support conversations around poultry care, animal welfare, different chicken breeds, natural behaviours, responsible ownership and where our food comes from, all through positive, hands-on experiences.
When she’s off duty, Popcorn gets to enjoy doing what chickens do best! foraging, scratching, exploring, dust bathing and pottering around with her feathered family. Her visits are only one small part of her life, and her welfare, comfort and ability to behave naturally always come first.
With her ridiculous amount of fluff, gentle personality and curious little nature, Popcorn is a very special member of the Furry Friends family and brings smiles, sensory engagement and plenty of opportunities for connection and learning wherever she goes.
All interactions with Popcorn are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and Popcorn’s welfare, comfort and choice at all times.
Twiggy & Pebbles
Meet Pebbles and Twiggy, our tiny but mighty Serama chickens! Seramas are known for being one of the smallest chicken breeds in the world, but these two are perfect proof that being little certainly doesn’t mean being short on personality.
Pebbles and Twiggy have been raised around people from the moment they hatched, so being handled, cuddled and involved in everyday life has always been completely normal to them. Their incredibly small size makes them particularly special members of our Furry Friends Animal Therapy team — even people who may initially feel nervous around chickens are often amazed by just how tiny and gentle they are.
Despite being the same breed, Pebbles and Twiggy have their own individual personalities, which is one of our favourite things about working with animals. Getting to know them encourages participants to notice their different behaviours, preferences and body language rather than assuming all chickens behave in the same way.
Their miniature size also makes them fantastic for gentle sensory interaction. Participants can feel their feathers, look closely at their tiny feet and features, listen to their little sounds and experience being up close to a chicken in a calm and supported environment.
Pebbles and Twiggy create some brilliant opportunities for learning too, helping us explore chicken behaviour, different poultry breeds, how chicks develop, responsible animal care, natural behaviours and animal welfare. They’re also wonderful for demonstrating the huge variety that exists within domestic chickens — especially when they’re alongside our considerably fluffier Silkies!
When they’re not visiting, Pebbles and Twiggy get to enjoy simply being chickens — scratching, pecking, exploring, foraging, dust bathing and generally getting up to tiny-chicken mischief together.
They may be two of the smallest members of the Furry Friends family, but Pebbles and Twiggy certainly make a big impression wherever they go.
All interactions with Pebbles and Twiggy are carefully guided by trained handlers, ensuring both participant safety and their welfare, comfort and choice at all times.
Committed to Animal Welfare
Animal welfare is at the heart of everything we do. Many of our animals have been rescued or thoughtfully rehomed, and only those best suited in temperament and confidence are chosen to take part in sessions.
We maintain high standards of care through regular health checks, tailored husbandry, and careful transport planning. Sessions are limited to ensure all animals have plenty of rest, and their wellbeing is always prioritised above all else.