Therapy Pets

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.

Pets provide a sense of comfort and purpose in their owner’s life (Bennett). Humans have the basic need to touch, thus, when a person strokes an animal, blood pressure lowers and leaves that person feeling more calmed and less stressed (Robinson and Segal), though researchers believe that cats have a more calming effect on people than other animals do (WebMD). Giving a child a pet is very effective in helping them develop basic motor and social skills, a sense of responsibility, compassion, empathy, stimulate imagination, creativity, curiosity, and even make them feel better about themselves. Furthermore, both children and adults alike become more active when having a pet for a companion (Robinson and Segal). “Horseback riding gives stretching exercise, and helps at regaining balance and building core strength” (WebMD). While multiple studies have shown that walking one’s dog, grooming, and even petting boosts fitness, also counting as weight-loss, strengthens the heart, muscles, immune system, and bones, while improving blood circulation, boosting energy, and slowing the loss of bone tissue (WebMD; Robinson and Segal; Humane Society of the United States) “People who have pets tend to have better levels of cholesterol, cortisol, and triglyceride” (WebMD), moreover, “playing with a dog or cat can elevate levels serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax” (Robinson and Segal). “In 2001, a study

My final reason why you should own a pet because they reduce drastically. First, pets are always avalibile to listen without judgement after a long day. They also provide support like a family member or best friend which can help you relax and unload. In addition patch reduce blood pressure which will help calm you and your nervous. Therefore dogs are a perfect way to reduce

Questions arise concerning the treatment of therapy dogs when visiting patients and whether animal-assisted therapy really works at all; however, those who disagree aren’t looking at the big picture. Animal-assisted therapy is both an ethical and effective therapy method due to its success in treating those with chronic diseases, disorders, and managing stress and anxiety. The varieties of cases regarding the success of therapy dog treatments far surmount the amount of cases saying otherwise. Animal-assisted therapy stems from the human-animal connection, one of the most unique and powerful bonds man has ever experienced. It is that connection that allows animal assisted therapy to be a critical part of everyone’s daily

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

For many humans, a pet provides unconditional love and affection. Others feel an overwhelming calming, happy feeling when they are around animals. According to The American Veterinary Medical Association, studies have shown that due to these positive emotions that are stirred, the presence of and interaction with animals can lower heart rates and blood pressure. Animals that meet specific training criteria can become an integral part of a treatment process for a variety of psychological and physiological problems.

It would be an admirable concept to incorporate therapy dogs in to the office. Staff has previously mentioned their interest in this topic multiple times, and now we can meet their requests. Therapy dogs are known to make employees not only happier, but healthier. Dogs are known for reducing stress and anxiety in humans; while also temporarily lowing their blood pressure. Some other interesting health benefits are a quicker recovery from heart disease and improvement on people’s psychological well-being and self-esteem.

In the study about stockbrokers, it was documented that the emotion value of having a pet, had a more beneficial outcome for hypertensive patients, than medication alone ("Dog World" 2000). Both the article and the video discuss the different ways that animals can affect a human’s health and how Animal Assisted Therapy can be used in conjunction with medication or as a sole

This helpful form of cognitive therapy has been proven by several researchers from the NIH (News in Health) to reduce stressors and improve cardiovascular function for long term benefits. One particular NIH study researched the effects of animal companionship in 421 adults who had previously suffered from heart attack or stroke. Regardless of the severity of the attack, the study showed that after a one year later the patients who owned a dog lived longer and happier lives than those who did not. Pet owners are shown to live a more active lifestyle and exercise regularly to improve physical health. ‘Several psychologist’s and doctors nationwide are researching the benefits of incorporating animal assisted therapy within medical institutions to promote wellness and positivity. The heart rates and cholesterol levels of patients also reduced substantially due to the stress-relieving benefits of participating in AAT. Animals of all kinds have been shown throughout many credible research experiments to enhance an individual’s mental and physical health over

Therapy does not always mean sitting in an office talking to a psychologist. Sometimes it could mean someone going to a dentist appointment with a dog by his or her side or even riding a horse. Animal assisted therapy is treatment focusing on relationships between humans and other animals, and the human-animal bond in clinical and social settings (Giaquinto, 595). Although it has been proven to provide a handful of benefits to different types of people, incorporating animal therapy in public facilities continues to be debated (Ward, 198). Throughout the years, different types of programs have come about to specialize to certain people or groups (Kršková, 51). Animal assisted therapy is a growing subject that can provide major health advantages

In contrast to the use of dogs in working roles, many dogs in the United States today are used purely for companionship. As technology and scientific research have advanced, we’ve discovered the benefits a dog can have on a person’s state of mind. The American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists numerous health benefits to owning a pet. Owning a companion animal has the potential to decrease your blood pressure, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels. Dogs also require varying amounts of exercise depending on

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

Friedman and Son (2009) also studied the association of companion animals and human health benefits. “An important question is whether pet ownership causes better health or better health encourages pet ownership” (Friedman and Son, 2009). After researching this question, they found that “pet owners had lower levels of cardiovascular risk factors such as serum triglyceride and blood pressure than non-owners“(Friedman and Son, 2009). They even looked at a longitudinal study that “pet ownership was associated with increased 1-year survival rates in patients hospitalized for coronary heart disease” (Friedman and Son, 2009). Their results provided a basis that the association between both variables does exist, but still needs

     Why such beneficial effects? “Ironically, the most common reason people give for not having pets-having to care for them-is one of the reasons pets improve health. Pets require that you ‘extend’ yourself when you normally wouldn’t, and for people who are ill or just want better health, pets turn them into ‘care