Pet Therapy
How Would Integrating Dogs Into Daily Life Improve Life?
Service Dogs
Nursing home residents, special needs people, and people with physical disabilities all benefit from service dogs. Whether they are helping those with physical chores, or just being a companion, dogs, and other animals have proven to be very successful by helping people in their everyday lives.
Dr. Fluffy: an in-depth look at animal-assisted therapy
Households with dogs are much more likely to be overall happier and young kids can learn better with dogs in the classroom.
Therapy Dogs
Dogs don't just help those with physical disabilities though. Therapy dogs have been proven to help reduce stress, make people happier, and improve life overall. Inpatients at some hospitals will have dogs visit them to help reduce stress and make their stay more comfortable. Therapy dogs for people with anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness also benefit from having a dog integrated into their lives. The dogs offer a sense of friendship and connection, that help improve mental wellbeing.
Puppy Rooms
Some colleges have rooms in the counseling centers dedicated to reducing stress by surrounding the students with puppies. Especially when big testing times come around, students who are over stressed can hang out with the puppies to feel better.
A promotion for puppy rooms at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Library Dogs
Young children who have trouble reading need to practice by reading aloud. A new way that has been used to help these kids is by letting them read aloud to dogs. This way the children can get practice by feeling like they have a friend to listen to them, and improve their reading and speaking skills.
Demographics
- Young children with reading disabilities or special needs
- Students who are overwhelmed with stress and anxiety
- Adults living alone
- Elders and nursing home residents
K9s For Warriors
"K9s for Warriors is dedicated to providing service canines to warriors suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post 9/11. Our goal is to empower them to return to civilian life with dignity and independence."
This is one of many programs that uses dogs to help integrate soldiers back into daily and functioning life.
Service Locations
Libraries, nursing homes, hospitals, colleges/high schools, "puppy rooms," and in your own home, of course!