House Concurrent Resolution 2

(As Adopted by House)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CELEBRATING NATIONAL THERAPY ANIMAL DAY IN MISSISSIPPI ON APRIL 30, 2023.

WHEREAS, on April 30, 2023, Pet Partners is celebrating National Therapy Animal Day, and it is certainly fitting to join this exceptional organization in celebrating this outstanding day in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Pet Partners is the national leader in demonstrating and promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities and education, and since the organization's inception in 1977, its goal has been to improve human health and well-being through the human-animal bond; and

WHEREAS, with the release of its Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Interventions and its international expansion, Pet Partners is globally recognized as the industry gold standard, and as a leader in the field, it also maintains publicly shared position statements and calls to action on issues affecting therapy animals and animal-assisted interventions; and

WHEREAS, with more than ten thousand registered teams making more than three million visits annually in settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools and hospice, Pet Partners serves as the nation's most diverse and respected nonprofit registering handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams; and

WHEREAS, there are thousands of Pet Partners therapy animal teams serving in communities across the United States, interacting with a variety of people in the community including veterans, seniors, patients, students facing literacy challenges, and those approaching end of life, and the organization's therapy animal teams in Ocean Springs play an essential role in improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and honor the extraordinary therapy animals who partner with their human companions to bring comfort and healing to those who need it most, and we encourage all Mississippians to celebrate therapy animals and their human handlers:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby celebrate National Therapy Animal Day in Mississippi on April 30, 2023, and express our most sincere wishes to Pet Partners for continued success in all of its future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Pet Partners and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.