Skeeter Foundation

Mission Statement

The primary goal of the Skeeter Foundation is to educate people and support programs that endorse the “Prescribe Pets Not Pills” philosophy, which is based on the premise that pets are good for our health and well being and are important in our increasingly urban and complex society.

What the Foundation Is

One of the major activities of the Foundation is to provide support for the “Pet Prescription Teams,” which are made up of volunteers who want to share the joy and value of pet interaction and its overall benefit to society.

Pet Prescription Teams are pet therapy groups made up of volunteers who visit nursing homes, hospitals, hospice facilities and schools with their certified therapy pets.

The Skeeter Foundation provides assistance to interested pet owners in utilizing their certified pets for therapy visits, under the auspices of the Foundation, to a variety of locations. The Foundation provides the following to qualified groups:

Assistance in organization of therapy teams
Guidance in certifying pets for qualification
in therapy teams
Assistance in setting up a Pet Prescription Team
Manual for the chapter and visitation guidelines
Assistance in qualifying to meet facility requirements
Liability insurance for approved visitations
Pet Prescription Team chapter website
Pet Prescription Team newsletter
Public relations activity and periodic press releases
Official Skeeter Team vest for visiting pets
Official Skeeter Team logo shirts
Assistance with fund raising activities for local programs

Why the Foundation was Started

The Skeeter Foundation was named in honor of a special companion pet, Skeeter, who taught Dr. Stephens and others the positive effects that pets have on human health.

The Skeeter Foundation recognizes that all companion animals are special to their owners, and Skeeter is a symbol of their devotion and bond.

What the Foundation Funds

Human health care is now understanding the value and benefit of pets to an individual?s well being, in large part through scientific studies funded by organizations such as the Skeeter Foundation, which funded an important replication and expanded study that measured several hormones and chemicals in humans after an interaction with a dog.

This study is reaffirming the initial study in South Africa which found that, while petting a dog, several hormones beneficial to humans increased, while an excess of detrimental hormones were decreased.

Donation Information

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the Skeeter Foundation, click here to donate with a credit card, or you can mail a check or money order to:

The Skeeter Foundation
P.O. Box 5862
Twin Falls, ID 83303

Thank you for your support. Your generous gift wil help improve and expand the Skeeter Foundation and the Pet Prescription Teams we support.