While in a hospital or medical facility, have you ever seen a bunch of dogs trampling through on leashes either wearing little vests or without? Your first impression might be, “bad enough that the economy is stricken, but now our health care is going to the dogs!”
These dogs and sometimes cats are animals that are either human friendly and lovable shelter pets or pets that are owned or fostered, and are brought into the hospital as therapy pets. What is a therapy pet?
Therapy pets are any pet usually a dog, sometimes cats and even exotic pets, such a birds. That are brought into hospitals to give love and comfort to those whom are sick. Therapy pets are animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animal-assisted activities (AAA) and pet visitation animals that are social and comfortable around humans and have good manners and discipline. Any pet can become a therapy pet, you make volunteer your pet to be a therapy by googling your area and the word therapy pet.
Therapy pets help people just by visiting them, especially those whom are either sick or elderly. A therapy pet can bring comfort, love, warmth, and good feelings. Everyone needs love especially those that are in need. A therapy brings such love with each visit. And it’s researched that therapy pets have been known to help heal, by lowering stress levels, lower high blood pressure, promoting release of endorphins “happy or feel good hormones,” and help the body and mind heal with their kisses and love. Just by petting an animal can provide a host of healing mechanisms and definitely lower stress levels that a person in an hospital will usually have along with their ailments.
Therapy pets are very much needed in society, included as a therapy pet are highly trained dogs, that are eye assistant dogs, or pets even trained to help their owner with menial tasks that might be impossible for their owner to accomplish with their disability.
Though you feel sorry for this therapy pet and hope that no-one will ever follow Homer’s example! lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHxOiFxNDzw
Therapy pets also alleviate loneliness and depression, petting or stroking can help with stretching arms and hands, using muscles that might not be daily used, and provide much needed distraction and entertainment from pain that the patient maybe suffering with. If you wish to find out more about therapy pets do visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_therapy
Also a good reference is:
http://loveon4paws.org
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About the author:
I am fun, sociable, love to travel, meet new people and experience new adventures. I am very creative and have written 3 books, will be published this summer, and an artist. Nature lover, hiking, fishing, swimming, camping, just love being outsi...
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