Ben Williams, author of numerous award-winning novels once said, “ There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.” It is no secret that dogs bring healing and love to us when we need comfort. They bring us protection when we need protecting. But most importantly, dogs bring us loyalty and they are always there for us. People of all ages can and do change when they gain a new four legged friend to journey through life with. Animals are miracle workers that can change a person's emotional and physical status for the better when there is no hope for life to get better. Dogs truly are a human’s best friends and they have left an impact on the lives of children with special needs, PTSD patients, and the elderly. Therapy dogs have become increasingly more popular over the last few years because of new findings of positives of humans and dogs bonding with each other. These dogs lift people's spirits and offer unconditional love. (Nelson) One of the most affected groups of people includes, children with special needs. Dogs bring comfort to children with special needs because dogs do not judge them and dogs are always there to give a helping hand. Here are just a few personal testimonies of children whose lives have been positively affected by therapy dogs. One child, Tom, was a sixth-grade student who lacked control in most areas of his life. (Reader note. Names used in the article have been changed to protect the identity of students.) He was in a foster home that was not working well for him. Tom was going to be placed in a different home with a new school that would require many changes. Not having much human affection in his life, he had learned behaviors to keep others at a distance. But his whole demeanor ch... ... middle of paper ... ... mission. New York: Avon Books. Sampson, Christine. "Four-legged therapy: Jamestown students benefit from canine companionship." Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg) 01 Mar. 2014: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Philips, Matthew. "A Reader's Best Friend." Newsweek 148.24 (2006): 14. Military & Government Collection. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Thompson, Mark. "Bringing Dogs To Heal." Time 176.21 (2010): 54. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. TRUESDELL, JEFF. "Canine Comfort Vets' Best Friends." People 80.25 (2013): 98. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Sharon L., Peters. "Man's best friend could soon be veteran's best medicine." USA Today n.d.: MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. "Service dogs guide soldiers suffering with PTSD." Kemptville Advance-Accent Weekender (Renfrew, ON) 27 Mar. 2014: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Some medical professionals do not believe that mental health patients can benefit from therapy dogs and go as far as saying it is a risk far as to say that it is a to the patient and compromise the patients ability to take care of the dog. When people who suffer with mental health issues qualify to get a therapy dog. The mental health patient is tested to see if they are capable of taking care of the dog. Those in need of assistance should use therapy dogs frequently do to the part of the benefits to using these pets to improve mental and emotional health as and physical health. Therapy dogs are beneficial to people who suffer from mental health issues by providing companionship as well as support. Some people with mental health issues have a hard time trusting others and need someone to talk to; Service dogs are important because to make they people with mental health problems feel better and help people with these disorders deal with their emotions.
Norkus, Christopher L. Veterinary Technician’s Manual for Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care. Chichester, West Sussex. UK: Ames. Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.
Tilley, Lawrence P., and Francis Jr. W. K. Smith. The 5 Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline. Third ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004. 372-73. Print.
Most people are familiar with service dogs and have seen them in action. Animal-assisted therapy is similar service animals in that an animal-human healing partnership is being created. However, the difference is that therapy pets are typically used to treat a mental disability whereas people with physical disabilities use service dogs to help them in many ways. Therapy animals are used in a wide variety of places, such as, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, therapy sessions, mental healthcare facilities, and even in people’s homes. These amazing animals are used on a wide variety of different disorders, but they are utilized mostly by people suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. For people with these mental health disorders, everything in live can be difficult and challenging, however with the help of animal-assisted therapy, their mood, motivation, and life can dramatically improve. Anyone who hears about these brave, loving animals soon falls in love with them. From a medical standpoint, there have been many successful studies and the support for animal-assisted therapy still continues to grow in doctors and therapists across the nation.
Dibble, Susan. “Service dog changes life for multi-needs boy.” http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110208/news/702089899/. February 8, 2011. Daily Herald. Web. February 22, 2011.
" The Impact of a Resident Dog on an Institution for the Elderly: Effects on Perceptions and Social Interactions." Gerontologist. 29 (1989): 216-23.
As with most other people, I always have difficulties when taking my dog to the vet. It seems that even just saying the word “vet” strikes fear into his eyes. Because of this, it is always my goal to ensure that my pets have a calm and caring experience when taking them to be checked. This is also the focus of VETSnyc. Each experience is personalized and there is an unmistakable sense of community that is essential for those who want the best care for their pets. Another important aspect of this organization is to reach out to members of the community, either through blogs or websites, to ensure that people are aware of the distinct and individualized environment VETSnyc provides. I believe that with my unique skillset and vast writing experience, I am an ideal candidate for the VETSnyc web content internship.
Kristin found out that Bea was from a laboratory and decided to give her a loving home. In the first years of Bea’s life she was mute, pathologically fearful, and terrorized from the trauma she experienced for the laboratories. She even shook when someone approached her, and rolled over and urinated every time a man was around. When Kristin would take Bea to the vet she would shake uncontrollably with fear. This just goes to show how the trauma from these animal laboratories effects the animals. Luckily, from the love and care from Kristin Bea transformed into a healthy dog without fear of her new owners or veterinarians. This story shows that these animals need love, attention, and care that they are clearly not getting at the laboratories. (Williams, and
Dogs can help children cross the street, lead the blind, alert the deaf, and they do so much more. Many of times, an adult might focus on the problem that doesn’t need requirements. An adult might focus on the problem that a child is socially disabled and by focusing on this problem, they may not even see how this child is trying to cross a busy street or might be trying to talk to someone that they shouldn’t. A service dog prevents the child from going out of sight and many of times can lead a child out of danger or avoid it in the first place.
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.
Our therapy dogs will visit the patients that cannot come to our
Thesis Statement: While most owners are aware of the amount of joy and laughter dogs bring to them and their family, they are unaware that their dogs love them unconditionally and can help them have better lives
Larkin, Dr Peter. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Dogs: Dogs Breeds and Dog Care. N.p.: Hermes House., n.d. Print.
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“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 of medical treatment.