Animal Assisted Therapy: Animal Bonds Between Animals And Animals

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. Animal Assisted Therapy was first officially used

Every patient may require a different type of therapy animal, therefore animals that are certified have many different qualities that make them helpful. Some patients might need one that is very calm, while others might require the opposite. Different personalities in the therapy animal brings out and benefits different parts of every person.
Service dogs are another form of Animal Assisted Therapy. For example, a person that is deaf can own a hearing dog. “In these circumstances, a hearing dog can offer ameliorative benefits aside from alerting the caregiver to the phone ringing. A dog, being a full-time companion, ends up being a conversational partner that responds behaviorally to the statements and moods of other people nearby” (Fine 67). The dog becomes more than just a pet, but acts as a family member that takes full-time care of you.
“Heart failure is among the most common diagnoses in hospitalized adults in the United States” (Cole