What’s your saga?
You have stories that matter. The SAGA Process helps turn those stories into questions, data, and insight.
Saga (noun)
A long, often heroic, story of real experiences or events.
SAGA (process)
Start with a story. Ask a question. Gather data. Analyze & Act.
The SAGA Process
The SAGA Process is a simple way to turn meaningful moments in animal-assisted work into useful evidence. Practitioners often begin with powerful stories—moments of connection, change, or discovery between humans and animals. The SAGA Process builds on those stories through four steps: Share a story, Ask a question, Gather data, and Analyze & Act.
Using the SAGA Process can help you:
• Demonstrate that your work is effective
• Make better decisions for clients and animals
• Communicate clearly about what happens in sessions
• Strengthen grant applications and other funding proposals
• Build credibility with partners and the broader field
Learning the SAGA Process
We teach the SAGA Process through our book, workshops, and other learning opportunities. Our goal is to help animal-assisted practitioners build practical skills for collecting and using data so they can better understand their work, communicate their impact, and continue improving the programs they care about. These skills include the ability to:
• Notice moments in sessions that raise interesting or important questions
• Turn those moments into clear questions you can explore
• Choose simple ways to collect useful information during or after sessions
• Observe and record human–animal interactions more carefully
• Organize what you collect so you can see patterns over time
• Use what you learn to make thoughtful changes to your programs
• Explain and share the impact of your work with others