National Organization for

Animal Assisted Crisis Response

Man's best friend helping Man

        History of AACR

What is AACR anyhow?

What is AAA/AAT?

What is AACR?

What is the difference between AAA, AAT, and AACR?

Who can benefit from AACR?

What is emergency emotional first aid?

Do AACR teams receive special training?

What kind of incidents can AACR teams respond to?

Relief Orgs, Govt Orgs, Emergency Responders, Police Dept, Fire Dept, Schools, Churches, Hospitals, etc

What services can AACR teams provide?

Where can AACR Teams respond to?

Local, Regional, National

How do AACR teams get called-out?

Frequently asked questions about AACR:

I have a dog that I think would be perfect for this, how can we become an AACR team?

How long does it take to become an AACR team?

How much does it cost to become an AACR team?

Is financial assistance available?

I don’t have a dog, can I still volunteer?

I don’t have a lot of spare time, how else can I support AACR?

Are donations to AACR tax deductible?

What other kinds of things does AACR need?

How AACR got started:

Cindy Ehlers, founded HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response (HOPE AACR), in 1998, after responding to the Thurston High School shooting in Springfield, Oregon. She identified that Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) teams need more specialized training to provide safe effective AAT services at crisis and disaster situations. She developed formal training and certification standards for AACR, which have been continuously improved upon over the years. In, yyyy, Cindy stepped down as President of HOPE AACR to found the National Organization for Animal Assisted Crisis Response (National AACR or AACR). Although Cindy no longer participates with Hope Crisis Response, she remains an honorary member