Therapy Dogs

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As the saying goes, a dog is a man’s best friend. The dog is a loving companion to a man. He is happy to go everywhere with his master. He shows his affection for his master by wagging his tail and licking his hand or face. This timeless relationship continues to evolve into new kinds of human-dog interactions that increasingly benefit society.
This has led to the belief that dogs can provide company, affection and support to people who are going through a difficult time or who feel lonely. Dogs have aided humans in tasks such as hunting, livestock herding, and guarding. However, as society moved from small rural communities to increasingly large metropolitan areas, the dog’s role changed. Throughout the years a more specific type of canine has helped improve the quality of human life in many ways. These animals are known as therapy dogs. Therapy dogs have been tremendously helpful; providing physical and psychological stability for students and health patients, assisting federal governments to boost morale, and presently, studies are being done to substitute medication for therapy dogs.
The first type of therapy dog documented goes as far back as World War II. Corporal William Wynne had found an abandoned female Yorkshire Terrier in the New Guinea jungle early in 1944. He named her Smoky, and started to take care of her. In time, Smoky started to take care of him too in her own way. In fact she used to accompany Wynne on combat missions where she helped to lift his morale as well as provide some comfort during such a difficult time. Later, Wynne was hospitalized due to a jungle disease. Wynne’s colleagues took Smoky to cheer him up a bit. Smoky not only managed to entertain Wynne, but also the several other wounded soldiers who...

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...nd, therapy dogs are and continue to be one of the main factors in improving the quality of human life.

Works Cited

Visser, Nick. “History of Therapy Dog” Therapy Dog Certification 2013 Web. 21 Dec. 2013
“U.S. Pet Population Fact Sheet” American Humane Association 2012. Fact Sheet. Web. 21 Dec. 2013

“2004 Pet Owner Survey” American Animal Hospital Association 2004 Survey. Web. 21 Dec. 2013

Correa, Julio E., Davis, Marquinta F., Ruffin, Wilma J., Ebert, Robert A. Floyd, James G. “Dog Companionship and Its Benefits to Humans” Alabama Cooperative Extention System(ACES) Nov 1999. Web 21 Dec.13

“Seizure Dogs” Epilepsy Foundation Retrieved from http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/livingwithepilepsy/healthandwellness/Seizure-Dogs.cfm
Web. 21 December 2013

Harrison, Rick “Canine Noses May Sniff Out Seizures” usnews.com News Science. 27 Nov 2009 Web. 21 Dec. 2013

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