ANNE CLILVERD is chair of the charity Pets As Therapy (PAT), which offers a pet visiting service in hospitals, care homes, schools and other venues
My whippet, Cesc, used to come on walks with me and my clients, and it was seeing the effect he had on them – including one man in particular who had a severe and enduring mental illness – that first made me realise that dogs like him could be used therapeutically. I started volunteering for Pets As Therapy with Cesc about six years ago, and he is just one of the 5000 dogs and 100 cats working with the charity.