How Are Therapy Dogs Affecting War Veterans

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

The main scope of this research paper is limited to sources collected within the past ten years. Although my paper is not necessarily science based it is important to use resources that are somewhat recent in order to heighten their credibility on the topic. In addition, the sources I use pertain to therapy dogs helping those facing mental illness, chronic disease, and high stress situations. These categories are taken into consideration because the roles of therapy dogs are commonly used in those areas. Furthermore, my sources are not limited in location. Therapy dogs are being put into practice globally as another tactic for therapeutic sessions.

Pet therapy is an incredible way to help people who have anxiety, depression, and to relieve stress. They are different from service animals because they are for everyone. Service animals are for the specific person they are assigned to. Therapy dogs are trained well and tested on how well they react to certain situations. For example, how they react to being around a lot of people and how well they can handle being pet by multiple people. They also get trained on how they handle large crowds and different sounds. The therapy animal we got to meet was a wonderful Lab named Kodi. he was very adorable and could handle all of us petting him and being all around him. His owner told us that he can sense when someone is in distress or feeling extreme

Dogs are very good at helping treat a disorder called PTSD. Lots of people with PTSD have trouble getting to sleep at night. But dogs are very good at treating this disorder. It has been said that dogs are able to alert you if you are having a nightmare or are in any real danger. In the article, Why Dogs Heal PTSD, Tracy Stecker states, “Dogs are vigilant. Anyone who has ever had a nightmare knows that a dog in the room provides information. They immediately let you know if you are really in immediate danger or if you have just had

As previously discussed dogs have long since been the faithful companions of humans, so it’s not hard to imagine that they would make the ideal support animals. Today it’s not uncommon to see a dog participating in a wide variety of practical applications, from security, to bomb detection (discussed in the next section). But what’s also very interesting about dogs is that they have the emotional capacity to assist in mental treatment. This section will discuss the the involvement with dogs in the realm of psychology and disability assistance. We’ll be looking at the human-canine relationship in therapeutic sessions, supporting evidence of the psychological benefits of dogs to humans, and supporting roles of dogs for the physically disabled.

Available evidence theorized the idea that personal pets can be used as another distinctive approach to assist patients, by helping them adapt to the disease or illness they may have; and perhaps, helping them to adapt to a new environment e.g. hospital. Accordingly, Brody (2016) discussed about her personal 5-month-old puppy; as she went through a therapy dog training that give graduates the opportunities to visit appropriate locations that may be able to benefit from therapeutic animals. It is significantly to note that there is not restriction to the appearances and physical properties of the dog; as well as the difference and similarities between service animals and the already-discussed therapy dog. Unlike therapy dogs, the ubiquitous

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,

While working at a military medical treatment facility, I was able to interact with wounded veterans who owned personal comfort dogs. These are different from typical working dogs such as seeing eye dogs in that they are not trained to serve a specific medical purpose; they are purely companions for people who experience medical conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder or severe anxiety. Simply reaching over to pet or cuddle these dogs calms these wounded veterans’ nerves, slows their heart rates and respirations, and helps to bring these men and women back to a state of normalcy rather than panic. These same animals serve as great companions for the elderly, especially people with dementia, for the same reason. They not only help with anxiety attacks, but they help with physical health in encouraging exercise. And for people who cannot venture out for walks, bathroom

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.

Many soldiers have been deployed 5, 7, 9 times or more over the last 13 years. Medical advances have come a long way to lower the casualty rate then from pervious wars. According to the text “in Vietnam and Korea about three Americans were wounded for every one that died; the ratio for World War II was 2:1, for Iraq it is 16:1” (hall 2008). Statistics show that those have received even a minor traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases their risk of suffering from PTSD. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “More than 40% of soldiers with injuries associated with loss of consciousness met the criteria for PTSD” (nejm 2008). We are doing what needs to be done to increase the chances of survival physically but what about their mentally

Just think, if you had four legs, soft fur and gave sweet kisses on the nose, a sick loved one’s health might improve considerably faster than others. The use of animals for therapeutic use, specifically dogs has been dated back to World War II, by Corporal William Wynne. Corporal Wynne found a dog named Smoky which he found left on a battlefield during the war. While Wynne was hospitalized, Smoky began his career as a therapy dog cheering up other wounded soldiers and continued his hospital rounds for 12 years, during and after the War. Pet therapy was first used to treat the mentally ill, but because of the studies showing the reduction of symptoms for the patients, it didn’t take long for the results to get noticed in other fields of medicine and physical

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.

Before an animal can be used in any type of therapy situation, it must be trained to specifically respond to certain situations calmly and not hinder a client’s betterment. Especially when using dogs, most of the time untrained animals are not acclimated to reactions of

Over the years it has been said that a dog is a man 's best friend. A friend that has been domesticated ever since the beginning of time, bringing about many different breeds throughout the world from Affenpinscher to Yorkshire Terrier. The connections received from these loyal animals have proven to be a huge benefit physically, emotionally, and socially. It is no surprise that we have trained dogs to perform complex tricks to entertain the public or train them to save lives. Dogs that are trained to assist people with disabilities such as visual impairment, post traumatic stress disorder, diabetes, seizure disorder, mental illness, and mobility impairment are called service dogs.

Additionally, dogs are frequently used for therapy as well as for service purposes. They allow a safe outlet for closed off psychiatric patients, and can help senior patients