27/08/2026
Pets as Therapy – Sugnet Lubbe (mx 1991) 🦮
Pets as Therapy is a volunteer organisation that facilitates visits of volunteers with their companion animals to a variety of facilities and institutions. Sugnet joined PAT in November 2021 with her rescue dog Strawberry. Strawberry was recued from a ditch on a w**e farm and taken to animal welfare. Sugnet and her husband Pieter were asked to foster Strawberry with her four puppies, which were only two weeks old at the time. They adopted Strawberry when the puppies were ready for new homes at eight weeks. Three of the youngsters were adopted, and Licorice simply did not find a home. As it turned out, he already had one and remained with the family, becoming Lici and eventually Sugnet’s second therapy dog.
Every Tuesday morning at 10:00 Strawberry visits a frail care facility in Somerset West, bringing love and comfort to the residents. On Thursday afternoons it is Lici’s turn to brighten up the day of frail care residents in the Strand. Sugnet has served on the PAT executive committee for four years and since May 2026, she is the chair of PAT.
This year, Pets as Therapy is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The organization was founded by Hazel Hill who visited the UK and was inspired by the pets-as-therapy movement there. Upon returning, she brought together a few enthusiasts in Cape Town and formed Pets as Therapy South Africa. The organisation has no formal ties with its namesake in the UK but is built on the same model. PAT’s activities remain concentrated in and around Cape Town, but there are members much further afield, including George, Plettenberg Bay, Modimolle and Polokwane.
As an NPO, PAT does not charge facilities for visits and rely entirely on volunteers who generously give their time and share the love and companionship of their animals. There is no formal training required. Instead, the handler and animal team are assessed together by an experienced assessor, who evaluates their suitability for therapy work. It is important that both the handler and companion animal are comfortable interacting with people, enjoy the visits and are able to share compassion and companionship in a variety of settings. Once the assessment has been completed successfully, they are placed at a PAT facility. These facilities range from schools for children with special needs to retirement homes and frail care centres.
There is a substantial body of scientific evidence showing that the interaction between humans and animals can have therapeutic benefits – physically, emotionally, psychologically, and socially. PAT visits bring companionship, comfort, support, pleasure, stress relief, and stimulation to those living either permanently or temporarily in these establishments. A visit from a friendly animal can help individuals feel less lonely, less depressed, provide a welcome change from routine, offer entertainment or a welcome distraction from pain and infirmity. People become more active and responsive both during and after visits with animals. Petting encourages use of hands and arms, as well as stretching and turning movement. Simply stroking a dog or cat can have a calming effect and reduce a person’s blood pressure. People often talk to the visiting pets and share with them their thoughts, feelings and memories while the visits give them something to look forward to.
In addition to regular visits to facilities, PAT also participates in ad-hoc events for groups, organisations or companies. These events are often organised as part of wellness days or stress relief sessions for students. Sugnet’s youngest PAT doggy, Armani, the pug with a designer face, regularly accompanies her to these events. PAT currently has around 80 dogs, one remarkable Somali cat named Tweet and two horses providing animal assisted interactions. The two Appaloosa horses are based at the Maties Equestrian Club and students from university residences are invited to the club for stress relief sessions. Interestingly, Golden Retrievers are the most popular breed in the PAT family, with 17 therapy Goldies sharing their love and companionship through the organisation.
For more information about Pets as Therapy, or if you would like to volunteer or make a donation, please visit the PAT website www.pat.org.za.
Armani passed his assessment in December 2025.
