Dog Therapy Research Paper

The benefits of animal-assisted therapy towards children varies, one of the benefits is to be able to bring out the best out of the child. The animal could connect with the child spiritually and could improve self-esteem because the child would finally feel accepted by the animal (Weston, 2010) as this quote stated, “A therapy dog may be the first creature who has listened and responded to the child with such enthusiasm and compassion. This can result in the child feeling heard and important” (Pichot, 2007 cited in Weston, 2010). The animals are capable of taking the pressure off the child as s/he is going through a difficult experience and being forced to deal with people, the animal can take up the role of being the child’s supporter. Animals can be used as a “bribe” because some children does not want to attend to therapy but is willing to show up because of the animal which is good because in the end the child would be able to receive the therapy s/he needs. Animals that are trained to be assisted therapy animal are capable of switching its beneficial roles to be able to comfort

Medical professionals have recently seen the positive effects animals are able to provide to their patients with mental disabilities. The emotional support dog MA recognizes

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

Dogs can help us humans with mental health. Many service dogs are used to help people who are deaf or people that are blind. How about people with mental issues? Dogs not only help us with physical problems but also with mental problems like depression. In the article “Therapy pets and humans with mental health issues” the author “ dog time” starts to state in the 3 paragraph “Trained animals [iii] are used to benefit patients suffering with emotional and behavioral disorders, depression, autism, substance abuse, and dementia.” (2010) This can show how animals can help us with mental issues because animals can understand many struggles us humans have, because after their trained they can not only understand us but also

For centuries people have known that animal companionship has brought many benefits to people’s lives. According to Kathryn Heimlich, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the first known time a companion animal was used to aid in a therapy program was “York Retreat in England, an establishment founded by the Quakers for persons with mental illness” (Heimlich, 2001, p. 48). As stated by Heimlich, the first published reports of the benefits of animal-assisted therapy come from Psychologist Boris Levinson. Levinson “discovered that he could reach a disturbed child during therapy

In a recent study conducted by Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., RN, of the University of Missouri-Columbia Center for the Study of Animal Wellness showed that when humans pet a dog, within minutes there is a huge amount of beneficial hormones known to be associated with health and feelings of well-being.(Becker par. 2) These hormones are called beta endorphin, prolactin, dopamine, oxytocin, and beta phenylethylamine (Becker par. 2). The hormones that are released from the interaction between the animal and the human allow the patients to feel more blissful and trusting. Along with being emotionally benefited from working with animals in assisted therapy; people can benefit physically. For example, people who have physical

“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

Resident therapy dogs have been implemented at the library of the Harvard School of Medicine, and these dogs may be checked out just like you would with a book. According to research, interaction with dogs decreases a person’s level of cortisol and increases endorphin levels (Adamle).

Throughout history, animals have played an important role in the lives of humans. In 1860, Florence Nightingale commented on the positive impact of small animals on those with chronic illness (Nightingale, 1860/1969). Over 100 years have passed, and the human health benefits from exposure to pets, or companion animals, both psychological and physical, have been well-documented (Barker & Dawson, 1998). Halm (2008) suggests that animals play a crucial role in creating healing environments. Animal- assisted therapy generates physiological effects, psychological effects, and social effects.

Research has proven that having a pet around when sick can “enhance mood and well-being” of the patient. It is known that many children who have disabilities, own a therapy dog that a help them throughout the day. This help provided by therapy dogs, improve the lifestyle of these individuals tremendously. The change of environment therapy dogs have, due to their never ending energy, bring smiles to people’s faces like a switch. It is said that patients improve in socializing when caring for and being with animals.

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a form of therapy which promotes social interaction, as well as improvements in human social, emotional, physical and/or cognitive functioning, creates an environment where the client can disclose and experience empathy, trust, sensitivity, and comfort (Coetzee, Beukes, & Lynch, 2013; Pet Partners, 2012). Pet/animal assisted therapy has been traced back to the 18th century, with records indicating that in 1919 pets accompanied psychiatric patients in a Washington D.C hospital (Chu, Liu, Sun, & Lin, 2009). When therapy sessions are accompanied by the presence of an animal, the client enters a non-threatening, safe and trusting environment where self-disclosure of personal emotions and experiences becomes easier for the client (Reviewed by Coetzee, Beukes, & Lynch, 2013).

Therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, and dogs for the deaf and blind can be classified by what their job enables them to do. Although each of these dogs’ jobs differs in many ways, all of these jobs can be distinguished as being very helpful for people. Dogs can be needed to assist with daily life, to save lives with their senses of smell, sight, hearing, and touch, and to provide a trustworthy companion for us. Either way, most dogs are perfect companions for man, and help us to stay safe and save lives with their loyalty and determination. Therapy dogs can be classified by what their job enables them to do. They regularly help people in institutions

As many pet owners will say, dogs are a great source of comfort. Now, with recent research we have found that they also help in a medical and therapeutic setting. Therapy dogs are a great asset for anyone who needs emotional support. They improve your health by responding to your actions and your words. Interaction with animals offers benefits to patients suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and psychiatric disorders. Dogs can provide a powerful healing force in our lives.

This is a dissertation essay that was written by Alicia Moore for her degree of Doctor of Psychology in 2013, which makes it a fairly recent dissertation and also a credible source. I chose to use this dissertation because is directly related to my topic about service dogs and how each participant in Alicia Moore study benefitted from their service dog. Also “reasons for any clients or patients trying Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) has yet been remarked upon in previous literature” (“Alicia Moore” 88). With this study it showed that the participant’s with PTSD who used their psychiatric service dog were feeling safer because of the presence of their dog. This dissertation emphasizes that psychiatric service dogs play a big part in the participant’s

The purpose of our study is to obtain enough information to support our hypothesis. We are looking at the benefits of animal therapy and the effects it has on the human body, particularly of those currently suffering from PTSD. The research will observe if animal therapists have a significant role in reducing anxiety, depression, rage and other symptoms commonly associated with this disorder. In our research we hope to find cases where animal therapy, particularly dog, has reduced the need for medication or has gone as far as replacing drug therapy. Ultimately, we hope to find sufficient data to support our hypothesis.