pet therapy Essays

A therapy dog is a dog used in animal-assisted therapy sessions primarily in institutions such as nursing homes, some schools, hospitals, schools, old people's homes, and prisons. They are great for giving unconditional love and gratitude to people, with no concern as to their age, race, infirmity or background. Want your dog to become one? Therapy dog training is vital in that case.

Most of the therapy dogs come from a selective breeding program known as the American Kennel Club (AKC). These dogs go through several months of obedience training and must be able to strictly follow commands. These dogs must also feel comfortable in the presence of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, oxygen tanks, food carts, and any other equipment patients and therapists use. A number of studies have demonstrated that the presence of therapy dogs serve to increase the quantity and quality of positive attention directed toward the physically handicapped by both familiar individuals and

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 have long been known to have beneficial health effects on people, both physically and mentally. However, for someone with severe mental illnesses like major depression and anxiety, a psychiatric service dog can be a life-saver. With time, these dogs become more attuned to the needs of their handler/human, and can often recognize signs that even other people cannot. These non-judgmental, loyal, and trained animals can provide the right kind of care to mental health patients and set them on the path to

Pet therapy is a way of comforting a patient. Although dogs are primarily used, they are not the only

Animal-based therapy provides many benefits for individuals with a disability. When assisting individuals with disabilities it is important to consider all options that will help them achieve the most success in life. Deciding which therapies to use is often difficult and should be decided on by the individual, their doctors, therapist, and family. Any drawbacks will need to be weighed against the advantages to ensure the course of treatment will be effective and appropriate for the individual. Revisions may need to be considered for the patient along the treatment path. Of the many types of therapies available, it is important to look at the benefits of animal assisted therapy. Individuals with disabilities who are routinely engaged in companion animal therapy develop a greater range of social skills than those who are not involved in any form of therapeutic animal-based therapy.

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

While humans and animals are commonly seen to think apart and generate thoughts differently than each other, the truth is that since the beginning, humans and animals have had many ways in which they found each other to be compatible with the opposite, because they had come to a realization that they needed each other physically, emotionally, and mentally. And of course though pets may not be suitable to someone’s capricious persona, studies over time have shown that, spending quality time with a pet boosts happiness and helps your immune system.

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

Animal assisted therapy, or AAT for short, began with the first documented case at an asylum run by the Society of Friends in England 1792. The first documented case of animal assisted therapy in the United States was not until 1919 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C. During the 1930s, famous psychoanalysist Sigmund Freud become an advocate for AAT when he used his dog, Jofi, during his therapy sessions. He found that his patients were more comfortable talking to him when Jofi was present. I believe that AAT proves to be beneficial for both mental and physical disorders according to articles I have read prior to the research done for this project.

non-verbal, non-reactive, and only walked, eat and sleep. While others have tried to have him interact with the activities and other people to no prevail. One dog was walking around visiting other residents and he began to walk toward the dog and tried to reach for the dog. After the handler realized what he was trying to do then the handler picked up the dog and the resident petted the dog for upward of 15 seconds and then walked away. While this is not the normal reaction people would think of when a patient sees a dog that was a humongous point for this one man and everyone who witnessed the account (Addcock)

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.

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.

What Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) Is Owning a pet and being around animals of varying species can be comforting, calming, and maybe even therapeutic to many people. According to the Humane Society of the United States, pet ownership has more than tripled in the U.S. since the 1970s. For years, organizations, animal-behavioral groups, and individuals have claimed that the use of AAT provides multiple physical, emotional, and mental benefits to its participants. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is not commonly used or practiced in many rehabilitation facilities, but current research by multiple organizations and individual researchers discuss the benefits of this therapy. “Statistically, significant reductions in anxiety scores were found after