Animal Assisted Therapy Dogs

Animal Assisted Therapy also known as animal-assisted therapy has been formally introduced to the world in the last ten years or so. Although animals have always been a place of comfort for a lot of people, scientists just began to realize the impact animals have on society. The world has begun to experiment with what animals can do to benefit human health. The most common type of animal-assisted therapy is equine-assisted therapy. Equines are horses. Equine-assisted therapy 's impact on minors who have mental health issues have led to a successful new type of therapy that includes multiple benefits. Equine-assisted therapy has worked well in is treating adolescents and children how to communicate and connect with others. Two big issues that animal-assisted therapy has been known to help is Autism and kids with attachment and social problems.

Most of the therapy dogs come from a selective breeding program known as the American Kennel Club (AKC). These dogs go through several months of obedience training and must be able to strictly follow commands. These dogs must also feel comfortable in the presence of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, oxygen tanks, food carts, and any other equipment patients and therapists use. A number of studies have demonstrated that the presence of therapy dogs serve to increase the quantity and quality of positive attention directed toward the physically handicapped by both familiar individuals and

In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.

When an occupational therapist uses animals in their therapy the patient, in this case a child, will be either in their wheelchair or on a therapy mat. If the child is recovering from a brain injury and is experiencing difficulty grooming themselves due to loss of function in an arm, the therapist will ask the child to use their weak arm to pet or brush the dog. As the limb grows stronger, they may add a weight to the wrist to increase their strength. They can also use an adapted brush if the child is having

Service and Therapy Dogs According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, “A service dog is any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal, individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability,” (Levingson). This means that a service dog can help people with a variety of disabilities once trained. There are two main classifications for a therapy dog: service dogs, who help those with physical disabilities, and psychdogs, who help those with mental disabilities.

These dogs learn many tasks so they are specialized for their certain patient. Therapy dogs learn special tasks to decrease the anxiety in a patient during certain situations, so “Stanek trains his dogs to perform 10 or so PTSD-specific tasks. Some of them are designed to ease concerns about blind spots, not unlike the way a military unit designates someone to watch troops' backs or to scout ahead. Stanek's 2-year-old Catahoula mix, Sarge, for example, has been trained to check around the corner to see what's in the next aisle at a store.”(Thompson 3). When therapy dogs are in public areas, they tend to use tasks like checking around the corners at stores. Those with PTSD sometimes believe there are attackers around the corner. This helps relieve stress of the war veteran by assuring that when the veteran turns the corner they will not get hurt. Not only do the dogs go through training to become perfect for their patients, but they also have to become trained in “normal” tasks, whether their patients use it or not. A therapy dogs may be complicated or not but either way “To qualify as a service animal, dogs must be trained to do work or perform tasks like providing safety checks and room searches for a person with PTSD.”(Thompson 3) . When dogs successfully pass the tests to become a therapy dog, people know therapy dogs are effective at reducing symptoms due to all the standards they must meet. People can usually tell when it is a therapy dog or a pleasure dog just by how they act. Therapy dogs tend to be much calmer and are very good at calming people down. The special training dogs go through make them not only able to but also extremely talented at decreasing a PTSD patient’s

Imagine you were in a hospital and your doctor mentions pet therapy and you decide to try it out. Your doctor arranges for you to meet with someone in the morning to tell you all about it. Soon after that, a dog and its handler visit you in your room and you are invited to pet the dog, play with it, and ask questions to the owner. After the visit you realize you're smiling, less tired, and more optimistic, and you can't wait to tell your friends and family about it, and can't wait for tomorrow to see the dog again. This is called pet therapy. Because pet therapy is popular today people should understand the physical, mental, and social benefits before making a decision.

Pet therapy is a way of comforting a patient. Although dogs are primarily used, they are not the only

Animal-based therapy provides many benefits for individuals with a disability. When assisting individuals with disabilities it is important to consider all options that will help them achieve the most success in life. Deciding which therapies to use is often difficult and should be decided on by the individual, their doctors, therapist, and family. Any drawbacks will need to be weighed against the advantages to ensure the course of treatment will be effective and appropriate for the individual. Revisions may need to be considered for the patient along the treatment path. Of the many types of therapies available, it is important to look at the benefits of animal assisted therapy. Individuals with disabilities who are routinely engaged in companion animal therapy develop a greater range of social skills than those who are not involved in any form of therapeutic animal-based therapy.

Therapy dogs are mainly used for people that need affection or comforting. Would you want to pay $125 for a dog because your school won’t let it in? Well think of it this way, not only are some schools not letting dogs

A service animal is one that is pre trained to help people accomplish tasks that they cannot execute on their own. These services include a wide variety of people that need help each and every single day. (“About Service Animals,” 2016). PAWS trains many service dogs to assist people who have Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Rheumatoid Degeneration, ALS, Cerebral Palsy, spinal cord injuries, and many other conditions affecting a person’s mobility or strength. Not only do they perform tasks related to a physical disability, PAWS dogs can also be trained to help with tasks having to do with a seizure disorder or hearing loss (“Paws with a Cause,” 2013). Service dogs help out physically, with cognitive and intellectual skills, sensory motions, and the mental and emotional state behind every person. The service animals’ jobs can range from helping someone get around all the way to keeping them alive day to day. The relationship and trust associated with their dog is crazy (“About Service Animals,” 2016).

Questions arise concerning the treatment of therapy dogs when visiting patients and whether animal-assisted therapy really works at all; however, those who disagree aren’t looking at the big picture. Animal-assisted therapy is both an ethical and effective therapy method due to its success in treating those with chronic diseases, disorders, and managing stress and anxiety. The varieties of cases regarding the success of therapy dog treatments far surmount the amount of cases saying otherwise. Animal-assisted therapy stems from the human-animal connection, one of the most unique and powerful bonds man has ever experienced. It is that connection that allows animal assisted therapy to be a critical part of everyone’s daily

Dogs will protect you and they can also provide comfort and support in forms of affection and companionship for an individual suffering from various mental and emotional conditions.

Animal assisted therapy includes all psychological theories and incorporates animals, such as dogs or horses, into a therapeutic treatment plan. It is used to enhance and complement traditional therapy methods, but it is not done by itself. Animal assisted therapy has been effectively used in individuals with autism, medical conditions, and trauma survivors. It may also be implemented for people with psychological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. Depending on the type of therapy and the type of animal involved, you may keep the therapy animal at home and with you throughout the day for emotional support, or you might learn to ride and care for a therapy horse that is kept at an equestrian facility. Afterwards, you

“I think I could turn and live with the animals. They are so placid and self-contained,'; writes American poet Walt Whitman (Schellenberg 1). Yes, pets have been part of human culture throughout history, and in American households, they are more common than children. It is reported that 58% of U.S. households have at least one pet, whereas only 35% have children (Whitaker; Witherell 76). Owners spend billions of dollars each year on pet food, accessories, and veterinary care, but apparently pets give back, too (Schellenberg 1). Medical studies show that pet companionship offers concrete health benefits (Simross 14). While only in the past few decades have scientists become interested in the benefits of pets on human health