Animal Assisted Therapy Essay

Animals are sometimes only seen as pets or, on the other hand, as organisms that should be kept away from us. Well, animals can actually help people and can serve other purposes besides providing food or companionship to us. Animals, especially dogs, have been a part of my life for a long time. I used to watch my grandmother’s dog for weeks at a time; he was practically my own. I have found that the mere sight, picture, or even a thought of my grandmother’s dog brought me pure joy. I believe dogs and other animals can bring this kind of happiness and other positive benefits to people with all different backgrounds. I find it to be true that animals can help people with their mental health through therapy. There are different forms and programs

Everywhere I turn it seems that I come across a sight dog or therapy dog. For example, at my church there is a woman who is in the process of training her dog to become a therapy dog for disabled people. There are many forms of animal assisted therapy other than canine assisted therapy as well. For example, there is dolphin-assisted therapy, hippo therapy (involvement with a horse), or just the general pet assisted therapy that includes other animals like cats. History tells us that animal assisted therapy has been around since the Middle Ages and originated in Belgium (Chandramoulleswaran 5). There are even signs of animal assisted therapy that one may find in Indian mythology (5). There are many researchers out there that are striving to study and prove the benefits of animal assisted therapy and one of its main front-runners is The Delta Society (Dilts 57). The Delta Society has been researching and proving the benefits of these types of therapies among people, specifically directed towards animal assisted therapy, since 1977 (57). It concentrates on helping people become healthier with animal to person communication (57). Personally, I think there should be more research programs like The Delta Society on the benefits of pet assisted therapy. I have read about so many benefits and have heard nothing but