Health Benefits Of Owning A Dog

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.

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.

For a number of children with autism having a companion dog is the difference between life and death. Methodically trained guide dogs help create an environment where autistic children are comfortable enough to live a more ordinary lifestyle. Autism spectrum disorder is a major public health problem that is the most common neurological disorder affecting 1 out of every 110 births in the US (Autism Society, 2009). ASDs can range in severity from Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism where the child can function relatively well in society, to autistic disorder or classical ASD, which severely inhibits the child’s ability to socialize or communicate (NINDS). Autism manifests itself most strikingly as impairments in formation of

Guide dogs for the blind help their owner walk and keep them safe. It makes them feel okay to be blind and that they have someone there with them. The deaf also have service dogs that help them with everyday activities and take away the owner’s worries. These amazing dogs also bring happiness and lower depression. They love their owners and give them a sense of purpose. People who deal with anxiety are provided with comfort from their service dogs. Also, their dogs can sense a panic attack and will help keep the owner as calm as possible. There are service dogs for people who have seizures as well. These dogs give confidence to their owner’s and reduce seizures. They also are able to tell when a seizure is going to come and provide comfort during a seizure. Autism is another disability that service dogs are trained to help with. They can help the owner relax and bring peace to the entire family. Service dogs can also help those who are handicapped by picking up objects, opening doors and helping their owner get dressed. Overall, service dogs make a positive impact on their owner’s lives by creating a better lifestyle and allowing them to be more

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

There has been a long history with animals and their natural bonds with humans for many decades now. Dogs have helped people with a multitude of illnesses for some time now, however Americans were not the first to discover this natural trait in animals. The Germans during World War 1 were the first to discover this. In the book, History of Guide Dog Use by Veterans it states that the German army in particular “relied heavily on the use of German shepherds as ambulance and messenger dogs. The Germans reportedly used more than 25,000 dogs during World War I. ' these dogs were ideally suited for this type of work, with ell-known traits such as trainability, loyalty, intelligence, strength, and endurance” (Ostermeier 587). In today 's society, we have numerous people who are unaware of the services that animals can provide for humans. Specifically humans with mental or physical disabilities. In this paper I will present various types of service animals as well as the many services they provide.

According to the website Official Service Dog Registry some physical disabilities that service dogs can help with include blindness, asthma, seizures, diabetes, balance issues and numerous more. Some mental disabilities that service dogs can help with would be autism, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dyslexia, bipolar disorder and more. In the article Brace and mobility support dogs: Everything you need to know from the website Anything Pawsible, it stated “Brace and Mobility Support Dogs are a type of Service Dog trained to provide their disabled handler with assistance moving from place to place.” This relates to the physical disabilities listed above. For mental disabilities, The dogs act as emotional support to their owner. For example, people with depression or bipolar disorder can possibly feel less stressed or upset when their service dog is around them.

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

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

Imagine life in darkness. Imagine feeling around unstably, reaching out for the wall, the door, the person in front of you. Imagine the fear of not knowing where you are or if you are in danger. Now, imagine that you have a loyal, trustworthy guide. You are no longer afraid. You no longer worry about finding your way. You are safe in the hands of a close friend who is with you all times of the day. This companion is not a human however, it is a loyal guide dog. Guide dogs around the world assist humans who have disabilities. Guide dogs are not the only animals who help humans though. Service animals, therapy animals, and even pets all can assist and affect humans in many ways. For years animals have aided in the medical field and new ways for animals to help humans continue to be discovered today. Animals positively affect human health by benefiting humans with their general well being, with physical disabilities, and aiding in the recovery of veterans.

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).

In the years that have passed the use of animal assisted therapy has increased in hospital and assisted living settings. Animal assisted therapy is said to be extremely therapeutic while being able to restore balance and cognition to a person’s life when using these trained animals. More specifically is can directly enhance outcomes for patients who suffer from physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. Individuals can benefit from this in multiple ways according to Phung (2017), it can help with physical goals by increasing physical capacity by standing and reaching to pet an animals for rehabilitation as well as improving their belongingness and spiritual connections by providing a close relationship with these animals (2017, p. 63).

They can also help improve your mental health (Pugh). “A research project with older adults with dementia and found that it helped some with their memory” says Dr. Stuart Pope (qtd. In Falligant). Some kids use therapy animals to help them with disabilities, such as walking (“Pet Therapy Could”). It also can help some people use less medication. For example, people who have depression can use less antidepressants with the help of a therapy animal because the animal can help them become less depressed (“Benefits of Pet”). They can help improve different motor skills. Just like walking with a dog, it helps to improve the ability to walk while having the support of a dog. Once a criminally insane hospital used therapy animals to help the patients in the hospital. THen animals helped to improve the happiness of a lot of the patients (Pugh). Most kids do not have a good attention span or the ability to communicate their emotions. However, with the help of therapy animals it can improve their attention span and the communication of their emotions. That can also help the parent’s ability to get the child what they need at any given point in time (“Pet Therapy Could”). For athletes when they get injured, it is very upsetting for them because of the time it takes to recover, but with the use of animal assisted therapy it can help to improve the recovery time of different injuries (“Benefits of

One specific type of emotional disorder, Conduct Disorder, which is defined by the DSM-IV (as cited by Gullone, 2003) as a constant and repetitive pattern of behaviors that violate the basic rights of others and other age-appropriate societal norms, is particularly targeted by animal-assisted therapy. It is thought that by teaching children with risk of conduct disorder (CD) to have empathy and concern for others, their developmental trajectories may be modified (Gullone, 2003). An animal-assisted therapy can be directed at re-focusing the child’s aggressive and dominating actions towards caring and gentle actions in a relationship free of rejection and full of unconditional positive regard. The child can form a secure attachment with another living being which will contribute to their basic sense of trust (Gullone, 2003). These lessons can then be transferred to human relationships.

“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form