Animal Stress Research Paper

Emotional support animals can take on a multitude of jobs that “may include reminding the handler to take medicine, providing safety checks or room searches, or turning on lights for persons with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, interrupting self-mutilation by persons with dissociative identity disorders, and keeping disoriented individuals from danger,” (Brennan). These animals are often considered pets but are actually so much more than that, emotional support animals have a very important role in protecting the mental health of their owners and keep them safe. Not only do these animals protect people’s mental health but they also give people a purpose. Taking care of one of these dogs or other animals gives people something to take care of and focus on. Knowing that there is another living thing that relies on them can be very grounding and keep people connected to something outside of themselves.

“A Healthy Dose of Puppy Love” by Kathryn Satterfield describes a new study that shows that dogs can improve an individual’s health by lowering anxiety levels and by improving cardiac function. Specially trained therapy dogs visited a hospital in November in Dallas, Texas to help conduct a study that animals can improve an individual’s health, to do this people split the seventy six patients into a total of three groups: visitors with dogs, visitors, and an “at rest group.” For accurate results researches preformed anxiety tests on the patients before, during, and after the visit, and the results concluded that patients who received visits from people had encountered a ten percent drop in anxiety, while patients who received visits from dogs

While humans and animals are commonly seen to think apart and generate thoughts differently than each other, the truth is that since the beginning, humans and animals have had many ways in which they found each other to be compatible with the opposite, because they had come to a realization that they needed each other physically, emotionally, and mentally. And of course though pets may not be suitable to someone’s capricious persona, studies over time have shown that, spending quality time with a pet boosts happiness and helps your immune system.

Numerous people have pets that accompany them through life. Cats, rabbits, birds, and dogs are popular household pets. They keep their human owners company and quickly become part of the family. Owners refer to them as their "children," and younger kids in the family consider pets to be their "siblings." Immediately, an unbreakable bond is formed between pet and owner. Cuddling with dogs or cats seem to cause stress to disappear. Everything seems to be okay when a dog or cat sits on your lap. There is a lot of love there. Additionally, dogs seem to be the most popular pets, although I do know lovely "cat people." Actress Maggie Lawson, (Psych) knows all about dogs, how they are our best friends, and why we should all love them.

Most people know that pets are good companions, but they can also be therapists, teachers, and healers. “Sixty-two percent of American households include pets,” said the Humane Society of United States (Casciotti & Zuckerman, 2016). When people hear about dogs helping humans, one of the first things that might come to mind, are the dogs that help the blind or disabled. Another thought might be the dog that saves a family from their burning home. Today, there are dogs that help with autistic children, type 1 diabetes people, those that have seizures, and mental health issues, veterans with PTSD and others with mobility issues. Research has shown that there are health benefits from owning a dog, ranging from physical health

Rather than opening a bottle and downing a pill or two with a swig of water, a somewhat recent form of treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses as of the early 2000s is the use of emotional support animals. Unlike service animals, emotional support animals (ESAs for short) are not trained for a given task other than providing comfort. They are generally a person’s pet before they are registered. This comfort, however, has shown unique benefits in the treatment of individuals with mental and psychiatric disorders (The Delta Society, n.d.) compared to those not suffering from a mental illness. With the intensification of mentally ill students, many campuses are receiving requests from students to allow them permission to

The sample of this study was a random selection of 250 pictures. Photo’s were only used if the dog’s face could be clearly seen. In addition, no photos were chosen in situations where the dog’s stress level could have been elevated for other reasons, such as humans clapping to create a startling noise. The pictures were scored on three different levels of stress that the dog may or may not have been experiencing, judging by canine stress signs (e.g. half moon eyes, ears down, lip licking). The first score was to be used when the dog was showing one or more signs of discomfort, the second score when the dog appeared to be content, and the third when it was not possible to judge the dog’s state of being (Coren,

First, owning a pet can give people some major health benefits. Without a pet, a day at work or school can be stressful. By the end of the day, people could be ripping out their hair or throwing papers everywhere. This can make anyone’s heart rate go up as well as their blood pressure. Thankfully, studies have shown that interacting with a dog or other pet can lower his or her’s cortisol levels. For instance, after only three months, a group of people working with dogs were shown to have significant drops in blood pressure and stress. Pet’s happy go lucky vibes can impact their owners to feel the same, lowering his or her’s stress level. Even when someone sees a picture of their pet when they're stressed, it can immediately cause his or her’s heart

Well, when it comes to certain emotional/psychological disorders, companionship can be a major service, which cannot always be provided when pets are not allowed where they are sometimes needed. David Long, a veteran, needs his dog to help him get used to being a civilian again, but his living space does not allow pets (David),”‘She gives me structure, a routine, something that’s embedded in the military that you kind of lose when you get back to civilian life,’ Long said. ‘For people that have PTSD, anxiety and are transitioning back to being a civilian, it helps out a lot. It just makes sense.’”(Long’s Quote) So in this case, companionship can help someone that is dealing with PTSD and other hardships get through them. In other cases, dogs could help inspire people with social issues by showing care and no judgment. Jordan N. Putz, B.S.W says in his research paper,” The findings indicated that using therapy dogs in schools could benefit students by serving as an intervention and helping students learn skills that result in better connection and relationships, and skills that can assist with self-regulation and self-control,” (Therapy dog help) which is done through the comfort of companionship (Paraphrased Quote). This means that through the companionship of therapy dogs, students have learned to deal with control issues, and have learned relationship and social skills,

Universities all over the world are setting up “puppy rooms” for students, especially at exam times. Students can take a break from cramming and pulling all-nighters to cuddle some puppies to relieve the stress and pressure of finals. Schools that have implemented these rooms for their students have found that the students handle the stress of end of semester test times better and perform better academically. Therapy dogs are becoming more and more common to help people in all kinds of stressful situations. In hospitals to provide comfort for the sick and their relatives. In retirement homes to provide companionship to the elderly. And even for children with autism to help them connect with something or

As a dog lover, owner and trainer, it is important to be able to know and identify the signs of stress in dogs to make sure they are living their best lives. Similarly, understanding and recognising stress in owners is also important in case it arises in classes. This will help in making sure both dog and owner are enjoying and learning during the class and to avoid conflict in class.

Pet adoption brings myriad health benefits. One of these benefits is the loyal companionship of shelter animals. GAWS shelter’s acting chief executive, Mia Shaw states, “There are big positives for a person’s mental and physical wellbeing in adopting a pet – there are so many benefits to adopting a dog or cat, including companionship and friendship” (qtd. in Sum 19). These animals help human beings physically and mentally by providing another incentive to exercise, and by providing a steady companionship. These benefits could potentially save the lives of depressed people and improve the lives of incapacitated people. Inclusively, shelter animals reduce stress and other health-related issues. Rescue cat owner, Lisa Barley notes, “Not only will you benefit from the joys of a furry friend’s unconditional love, but a pet can have a positive impact on your health, from helping you stay physically active to reducing stress and lowering blood pressure” (48). Adopting a pet is much like obtaining a best friend, who will provide unconditional love and support when the person needs it the most. Furthermore, most of the shelter animals are caged for days or even months, resulting in being restricted from social environments. Consequently, these animals end up being friendlier when they are adopted and placed in a steady home, unlike the ones obtained

The researcher’s hypothesis regarding pet ownership and perceived well-being was not supported by the data. Pet ownership was not related to perceived well-being, even after controlling for the gender of participants.

There isn’t a better, more comforting feeling, than coming home after a long, hard day at work or school and being welcomed at the door with a wagging tail, wet kisses, and an excited to see you face from your dog. For many, having any sort of interaction with a pet or animal is the ultimate cure to stress that is caused by work, people, and life. While not every college student is able to have a loving pet in their lives, even a momentary encounter with any animal can lower stress and anxiety levels. Multiple studies have proven that animals are a powerful form of stress relief by not only lowering blood pressure, but also lowering a dangerous stress hormone, cortisol, which is correlated with depression and anxiety. Interactions with animals have also proven to raise oxytocin levels, which are linked to pleasure, relaxation and happiness. Lowering stress and anxiety in college students will help them academically and socially throughout their college lives. College students will experience lower stress levels, a lower level of cortisol, and live a happier stress-free life by interacting with animals or pets throughout their time in college.

Two studies of the elderly by Garrity, Ory, and Goldberg found that greater attachment to a pet was associated with better mental health and also better physical health when human companionship was inadequate (Siegel 1085). Life events arousing needs for companionship in the elderly have resulted in increased doctor contacts. These may have occurred because the doctor provided the companionship needed, or the desperate need for companionship triggers some health concern. Pet owners have their companionship needs filled mostly by their pets. In addition, research has shown pet involvement was higher if the pet was a dog. Apparently, dog owners have a more special relationship with their pets than do owners of other animals. Dog owners reported spending more time