Therapy With Your Dog? Find Out How!

Did you know that the first modern therapy dog was a Yorkshire Terrier named Smoky? An abandoned pup found in the midst of World War II, she stayed alongside her adopted owner throughout the war. She helped them accomplish incredible tasks and boosted morale with certain entertaining numbers she had learned. Therapy dogs didn’t become popular until 1976. A  nurse noticed the positive response patients had to the visiting Chaplain’s Golden Retriever. Since then, the ways that dogs (and cats!) have been proven to help people has done nothing but grow! While certain things like seeing-eye dogs are commonly thought of, here are a few more ways dogs are helping people out!

Therapy with your Dog!

• Comfort – Never underestimate the amount of comfort your dog can provide during stressful and emotional situations. Just petting an animal lowers your blood pressure and helps people with anxiety feel calm. Dogs have begun being utilized in prison therapy programs, allowing inmates to talk about very emotional things that can lead to visible distress. The dogs are trained to approach the person and comfort them.
• Emotional Support – College campuses across the nation have been employing therapy dogs to help students cope with tragic situations. Yale University has so much faith in the service that students can “check-out” therapy dogs as needed.
• Bridging Communications – Therapists have found that in people who have trouble communicating or connecting, the presence of a dog can help them open up and feel more secure in social situations.
• Increasing Confidence – Because dogs don’t judge, interacting with one can help grow children’s confidence. Children will often interact with pets like they might a human – by reading or singing to them, or even asking their “opinion” on something. These interactions have been shown to strengthen children socially and emotionally.

photo credit: rentmam1 Wir wünschen euch ein schönes Wochenende via photopin (license)