Leonora Sanchez always thought her friendly, outgoing beagle would be a perfect therapy dog.

So when she moved to Santa Fe in 2006 to begin acupuncture studies, she decided to enroll Bailey in a Canine Good Citizenship program. The woman conducting the course and administering the test, Sue Burnham, asked if Sanchez might be interested in the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society's Pet Outreach program.

Sanchez — and Bailey — accepted, and immediately became hooked.

For Sanchez, the program helps her connect with people and provides a nonmonetary way to contribute to what she believes in by sharing Bailey with others. His first gig was at a retirement center. Since then, he's gone to different schools and several retirement homes. Sanchez volunteers about three hours a week with Bailey.

Sanchez was living in St. Louis when Bailey entered her life. One of the first rescues from Hurricane Katrina, he was saved from a home where people had died. Sanchez says that experience has stayed with Bailey. Once, while she was sick with a bad cold, he stared at her in bed for hours. He's still frightened of lightning, thunder and rain.

But he shines when he's around people he loves.

That makes him a perfect pup for the Pet Outreach program, which has more than 50 volunteers and their animals, said shelter volunteer coordinator Mary Hendrix. The volunteers visit schools, hospitals, retirement centers, assisted-living communities and similar places in the Santa Fe area.

The effect that animals have on people is tangible, Hendrix said. Some volunteers visit people who have had serious illnesses, such as strokes; and the presence of an animal, whether the person is conscious or not, helps lower his blood pressure. "There's a lot of wonderful things that happen," she said.

The program is a longtime fixture at the shelter. For the past six years it has been run by Burnham, who volunteers her time and works days as a paralegal and office administrator.

Burnham became involved with the program about eight years ago when she rescued a Bernese mountain dog from a Hungarian puppy mill. She said she felt the dog, Matilde, would be great as a therapy dog, and started volunteering with her at Ponce de Leon Retirement Center. Matilde and Burnham have made weekly visits there ever since.

Canines of all breeds and sizes are in the program, which requires dogs to have their Canine Good Citizenship certificate and a health screening. Burnham tries to find the best match for the volunteer, and considers things like the dog's personality and energy. "Not all dogs do great in different situations," she said.

Those visited get different things out of the experience, Burnham said, but many develop a close relationship with both the handler and the animal. Residents at Ponce de Leon, for example, recently threw a party for Matilde's eighth birthday.

For more information about Pet Outreach, contact Hendrix at 983-4309, ext. 128, or e-mail petoutreach@sfhumanesociety.org, or visit the Web site at www.sfhumanesociety.org.