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. Animal-assisted therapy is often confused with service dog; it is two completely different type of usage of animals, which usually are dogs. It is commonly misunderstood because animal-assisted therapy and service dog are working animals with individuals with disability although according to (Hart-Cohen, 2009) service dogs is when an individual with disability is in need of help in order to function in daily life such as answering the door, crossing the street and the list goes on. While animal-assisted therapy animals are trained to offer comfort companionship, and affection to those in need in different situations such as courtrooms, nursing homes, schools, hospitals, and other places (Hart-Cohen, 2009). The point of animal-assisted therapy is to be available in specific situations to offer comfort to individuals. In order to become an assisted animal, the animal must undergo training, to receive a certified to prove that the animal is qualified to be able to control his or her behavior and is able to work with an... ... middle of paper ... ...The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/nyregion/dog-helps-rape-victim-15-testify.html?_r=1 Hart-Cohen, D. S. (2009, July/August). Canines in the courtroom. Retrieved from http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/gp_solo_magazine_home/gp_solo_magazine_index/caninesincourtroom.html Heimlich, K. (2001). Animal-assisted therapy and the severely disabled child: a quantitative study. Journal of Rehabilitation, 67(4), 48-54. Lachnit, L. (2011). Pet therapy gaining respect, admiration. NewsNetNebraska. Retrieved from http://www.newsnetnebraska.org/nnn/pet-therapy-gaining-respect-admiration/ 'Pet' projects: animal-assisted therapy for young patients. (2008). Contemporary Pediatrics, 25(7), 88. Weston, F. (2010). Using animal assisted therapy with children. British Journal Of School Nursing, 5(7), 344-347.
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.
According to the ADA, dogs are the only kind of service animal. These dogs are especially trained to help
It can be a companion, an aide, or both. Pet dogs are loyal and make wonderful company, and an emotional support dog creates bountiful joy, but a service dog is much more. A service dog not only serves the same role as a pet, but creates a safer environment for its owner. Without the service dog it would be much harder for the owner to get around on a daily basis indecently. However service dogs and their owners are discriminated against because people are skeptical of the dog’s legitimacy, but instead the service dogs and their owners should be respected and treated as
The US Census in 2000 has reported that, during the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century there has been a large increase in the number of elderly people living in the United States of America, which will likely result in an increased incidence of dementia. In recent years, dog-assisted therapy has been widely regarded as a generally accepted method of providing elderly residents with good feelings and an increase in self-maintenance behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the psychological and behavioral effects of dog-assisted therapy on elderly residents with dementia. I predict that dog-assisted therapy will help elderly people with dementia with their behavioral and emotional problems such as aggression, agitation and psychosis.
What would the world be like if there was no vaccine for polio? If there was no discovery of insulin? Thanks to animal research we don’t have to live without vaccines or insulin. Animal research is a topic debated everyday around the world. Some argue it is cruel to put animals through experiments that animals have no voice in what is being done to them. Others argue that animal testing is good because it collects a lot of information and helps with surgical techniques. I believe that without animal testing we would never know what we know now. Animal testing for medical research is necessary if there are no other alternatives because it allows for advances in medicine, provides treatments for people with diseases, it eliminates human suffering, and it also has helped treat diseases in animals. (Animal Research 2013)
For centuries, bonds between animals and humans have been stronger than ever. Many people could argue that their pet has become a part of the family. Over time, the bond that a pet and their owner have can become very similar to the bond between child and parent, sibling to sibling, etc. Many studies have been done that prove that the interactions between animals and humans are beneficial to the health of both individuals. Furthermore, the benefits of having an animal has become a large part of one’s health. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is practiced in many facilities around the world, but the “lack of interest and knowledge of animal-assisted therapy are still widespread” (Altschiller 12). The therapeutic bonds between humans and their animals have helped many medical cases around the world.
Imagine this, you are in a mall and a dog wearing a vest comes prancing in with its owner. What would you think? How would you react? Is it trained? Why does the owner bring in his/her dog to a store? Chances are, this is a service dog. Service dogs are used to help people with mental health issues, physical health issues, and social issues. Why do we need service dogs? The people could just go to therapy right? Well, wrong. Service dogs go through extensive training, to ensure they will be able to allow socially inept people to find a place in society, even though there may be some alternatives to their job. Together, let’s explore the ways that a service dog can help people function in society.
As the animals are being passed out, the patients begin smiling, laughing, and talking to the animals. They stroke their coats, play with them, and feed them snacks that they have saved for this occasion. While the patients are interacting with other students and staff, two of the students begin making notes on the activities that are taking place in the room. The patients, staff, and students are clearly enjoying themselves, but there are greater benefits to be found here. Research has been done in the area of human-animal companionship and security, and stress management.
In animal-assisted therapeutic programs, dogs have proved to be very useful (De Balogh et al., 1993) . They have been associated with survival
Animal Aid is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. 501(c)3 is a fancy way of putting a nonprofit organization that is tax-exempt. They deal with animals that have been hit by cars, abused and/or neglected, and animals that have been hurt in other ways. Sometimes these dogs can be labeled as “at risk” by other shelters. These dogs are less likely to get adopted due to the fact they don’t know how they will react to what. Robert Reisman is a forensic veterinarian at the A.S.P.C.A. in New York. He has seen some awful stories throughout his years. Reisman did an interview with
Animals have been constant companions, workers, and protectors at the side of humans for as long as anyone can remember. Horses help with travel, cats help keep mice out of the house, and dogs help herd cattle. However, the bond that can develop between four-legged animals and humans can be even more valuable than just helping get work done. A soldier coming home from war or a child scared to make friends can find solace and warmth in a special bond developed with animals through animal-assisted therapy. Animal-assisted therapy are therapy programs that involve using trained animals as a form of treatment to enhance an individual's physical, emotional and social well-being, thus improving self-esteem, reducing anxiety and facilitating healing ( source 1).
This short article found in the magazine “Prevention” focuses on the numerous healing powers your animal can give you, claiming the bond you develop with a pet translates into health benefits through giving you a sense of purpose and belonging. The article proves these benefits through explaining how pets decrease blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones, while boosting feel good hormones which establish love and comfort. They reference numerous studies including one at the State University of New York at Buffalo, University of British Columbia, and the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
Pets are especially good for therapy. These pets are the eyes for the blind people, who can’t see. You will see a service therapy dog helping the elder people, blind people, or kids or young adults with a serious enough condition. These pets are especially trained for people who need them the most. An example is a Christian business who has a big group of golden retrievers that comfort and love on the people, who need them the most in their life. These dogs relieve the people’s anxiety and stress. These people get to play with these dogs and get to know them. For example dogs can be a very smart animal to adapt and handle some stressful
Animal welfare is a fairly recent, yet troubling argument in society. This subject is a strong argument on a variety of opinions. Animal welfare has become a major issue and has grown internationally. The human concern and the safety and rights of animals is the meaning of the concept of animal welfare. Through decades of animal welfare, people fight to prevent the action of animal cruelty and bring help towards animal rights.
The potential therapeutic qualities of companion animals have been recognized and explored long ago from the Ancient Egyptians to the Ancient Greeks. Records indicate that the ancient Egyptians worshipped and praised cats, treating them like they were royalty, and even mummifying and burying them in blessed/sacred vaults beside the Nile River. Similarly, the Ancient Greeks went so far as to build Temples specifically for “healing” dogs. Overall, studies suggest that animals indeed maintain numerous therapeutic attributes that ultimately improve both the mental and physical health of an individual.