The Impact On The Impact Of Animals On Society

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.

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

Canines also help improve a person’s social and emotional health. In the 2009 New York Times Magazine, Melissa Fay Greene, writes about Karen Shirk in her article titled, “Wonder Dog”. Karen Shirk, a thirty-year-old woman diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular disease, noticed the change in herself and people around her. Strangers greeted the tubed up woman in the motorized chair whenever her dog, Ben, her German Shepard, was around. The despair she said she had once felt was now replaced with optimism and ambition. In present day, Karen Shirk is now CEO of her own facility, which she named 4 Paws For Ability, for cognitively impaired adults and children. In Lisa Field’s article “ 6 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”, Field’s

Some disabled people feel very disconnected from normal people, but a service dog helps them overcome that, and also become more independent. “Service dogs seem to positively influence socialization and community participation in a variety of environments. Two studies observed partnerships in natural environments (Eddy et al., 1988; Mader et al., 1989) and reported that community members smiled and conversed with children and adults with service dogs more than children and adults without service dogs, and community members did not avoid the person with a disability as much when a service dog was present” (Winkle, Crowe, and Hendrix 57). Service dogs allow disabled people to do more things on their own, with the help of the dog, and feel like they do not have to rely on other people to help them as much. In addition, when a disabled person has a service dog, they have a companion that is by their side throughout the day, boosting their confidence. Presnall writes: “Jennifer had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of sixteen… ‘I felt kind of repulsive and unlovable in that wheelchair,’ [Jennifer] says. ‘But I knew a service dog would look at me and just think I was cool’ ” (8). More evidence of this is proven with the bond between David, a man who had both of his legs amputated above his knees, and his dog Inca. “Inca’s arrival has made a huge difference to David’s life, both emotionally and physically” (Bidder 48). Thus, service dogs impact their

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, or depression, amongst many other disabilities deserve to be acknowledged because of the medical advancements in the past several years which support the effectiveness of service animals. These disabilities affect the everyday lives of thousands of people throughout the United States, which is why I believe that service animals can be a beneficial component that may boost a person’s endurance. In the article, Service Dog Training Program for Treatment of PTSD in Service Members, a study written with the United States Army, results concluded that service animals were deemed effective in their practices. The article reports that veterans and service members had an “increase in patience, impulse control, [and] emotional regulation” (Yount, et al.). As a helpful practice for disabled persons, it is a civil injustice to discriminate against a person with a service dog. To neglect a disabled person’s accessibility to basic public services in modern society is a violation of human rights. I think that the lack of accommodations for service animals and their handlers is an overlooked issue in society, which is why I believe that my research is a relevant issue in modern

“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

This one account shows how while many react the same way with the smile and laughs that people of all ages receive from a dog, others cannot have the same reaction and other “small” interactions can mean a milestone or a point of turn around for people needing that stimuli. This is only one of many accounts of accomplishments that take place with the aid of pets. Another case was a man who had just had a stroke and could not retain a long term or a short

In “My Story”, Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson says, “Animals kept me going. I spent every waking minute that I didn’t have to be studying or going to school with those horses.” This proves that animals help humans with disorders because the horses helped an autistic girl not have that many emotional problems when people picked on her for her autism. In “My Story”,Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson says, “It’s hard to imagine today, a school keeping a stable of emotionally disturbed and dangerous horses for its underage students to ride.” This proves that it would have been hard to deal with her emotional behaviors without an animal by her side. In conclusion, animals help people with disorders and emotional

AAT also has the ability to be a crucial part in an individual’s rehabilitation process and their recovery. Future research in AAT should focus on how it can and should be used to its maximum potential for individuals with disabilities and how they are affected long term. “Research in this also demonstrates that animals play a significant role in human health and well- being. Animal companionship and AAT form relationships between humans and animals that provide physical, physiological, and psychological benefits. These benefits are so significant to human health that recent medical attention has been paid to the field of AAT.

Have you ever noticed that when you are not feeling well, your pet will not leave your side? It is almost like they have a sixth sense to illness or anything that you may be inflicting you mentally, emotionally or physically. Those suffering with chronic illnesses, both physically and mentally benefit exponentially from the companionship of a pet. For anyone suffering with a chronic pain disorder, there is nothing essentially that can make you feel better. My mother is a disabled fifty-two year old woman; she suffers from depression, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. If anyone knows about chronic pain…it is her. When discussing this paper with her she said, “Some days I do not know what I would do without Matilda Faithe, she gets me through some of my worst days ("Animals Helping Humans Cope with Pain." Personal interview).” My mother has had Matilda Faithe, her nine year old; over-weight Yorkshire terrier, ever since her doctor suggested that a pet may be beneficial to her health. Nine years later and it has proven to be nothing but true. Having that companion gives her a reason to have to get up and keep moving, even when her body is telling her no. You have another life that is depending on you to get up and feed them and walk them. Just having to do simple tasks such as walking or feeding the dog is keeping her moving. My grandmother, whom suffers from dementia, also lives with my mother and benefits from the day to day help of Matilda Faithe. A pet is something constant in the life of someone suffering from a memory disorder. Not only does this little companion help her mentally, she keeps my frail ninety pound grandmother up and moving as well. This alone is why it is very common for nursing homes to bring in therapy animals for the residents. It not only helps them mentally and physically, but it brings an overwhelming sense of contentment with the interactions they have with

Animals are a big part of many people’s lives. They provide companionship; they provide daily assistance to those that have deficits and are having difficulty functioning in their daily life; they provide security and help keep a watchful eye on things, plus so much more. And yet, with all that animals do for us, there are those that are treated with such little regard, care, and cruelty. They are unable to speak for themselves and therefore, they need a voice to speak for them.

Pet therapy (Animal-Assisted Therapy) is one of the modern methods, which attracted attention of many people all over the world these days. Some creatures, such as dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, and horses may assist human beings in different fields such as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual rehabilitation [Collins & Varmus, 2015]. In 1954, Florence Nightingale reported the beneficial effects of pets on patients with chronic diseases [Nightingale, 1954]. It was the first efforts for the extensive research of physicians to find out treatment mechanisms [Stanley-Hermanns & Miller, 2002]. It is shown in a study that communication with dogs makes a significant improvement in alleviating pain, mood, anxiety, and distress of the patients

Of all the households that have pets it was found that 63.2% considered their pets to be family and 35.8% considered their pets to be close companions CITATION The17 \l 1033 (States, 2017). Taking these numbers into consideration, it can easily be seen how attachments and strong feelings of protection or love could develop towards pets. Starting at a young age and throughout childhood, it is likely that pets were always closely involved. Assisting children when parents weren’t around by helping to ease any separation anxiety that might occur, building companionship between child and pet to develop positive self-image, and also creating an emotional attachment to later be able to build stronger relationships with peopleCITATION Law16 \l 1033 (Robinson & Segal, 2016). A dissertation written by Theresa Evans Reynolds (1999), further describes the relationship that adults and pets have. She explains how pets provide companionship, protection, acceptance, love, loyalty, relaxation, an outlet for playfulness and even the ability to nurture something. She goes on to clarify that the relationships between pets and adults is not to replace human relationships, but rather to enhance them. It was also found in her studies that adults like to verbally confide in their pets, giving a perception that the animal is empathetic (Reynolds, 1999). In elderly people’s lives, pets are just as important. They help to prevent loneliness and encourage social behavior. Therefore, pets have a great effect on the development and enhancement of relationships. Having strong and healthy relationships always improve the overall quality of one’s life. The quality of life of an individual refers to how happy a person is, how satisfied they are with life, and how positive their outlook for the future is. This is all impacted by

In the article “Pets and Health: The Impact of Companion Animals” Casciotti makes a point that “The German study described above suggests that having a pet for a longer period of time is more beneficial to your health; but it is also possible that people with pets have less time to spare to go to the doctor or are less concerned about their own health, especially minor aliment. And people who love their pets are likely to want to let researchers know that their pets help improve their lives” When you have a pet, it helps you to be healthy and makes you have a healthier heart. Also, those that her have pets don’t go to the hospital regularly because it makes them take exercises that take away sicknesses from the