Animal-Assisted Therapy

If dog is man’s best friend, it makes sense that being around animals could help you heal or put you in a better mood. Animal therapy, also called Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), is a blanket term for a wide range of activities, good-for-you benefits, and a diverse group of animals that are able to help. Since dogs and cats are the most common household pets, no one should be surprised that cuddling with your little friends can provide a calm and soothing relief.

However, rabbits, fish, horses, dolphins, elephants, birds, and lizards can also be considered calming, as well as other small animals. Programs involving these types of animals are increasingly popular among organizations like nursing homes, retirement communities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric wards, including even correctional facilities.

Fish tanks have long been seen in restaurants, homes, doctor’s offices, in shopping malls, and aquariums are larger than life stress relievers. Studies have shown that fish tanks in care centers particularly dealing with Alzheimer’s patients can improve their eating habits, increase calm, and decrease erratic or destructive behavior.

Riding horses on the beach is a benefit of many tropical vacations but the repetitive motion of sitting on the horse is known to help balance and coordination and horse therapies have been proven to increase the strength and stability of physically and mentally challenged individuals. Specifically, horse AAT therapy is called equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), and there are other branches as well that deal with specialized horse therapies.

Another resort-type of luxury is swimming with dolphins. Dolphin therapy started in the 1970s in Florida as a way to motivate children with Down syndrome. Marine life can inspire more gentle behavior and there is a possibility that they have healing properties as well. Some experts suggest that dolphins use their underwater sonar waves as a healing process to boost T-cells in humans. A marine biologist Amanda Green, says that research is currently being done to support this but new hospital methods are offering technology that acts like sonar, “Many therapists believe that a dolphin's sonar causes a phenomenon called ‘cavitation’ inside the soft body tissue of the human body. It precipitates a ripping apart of the molecules….many hospitals already use a lithotripsy machine that uses low frequency sound waves to break up kidney stones and gall stones. The physics of that machine are not different from a dolphin's sonar.”

Perhaps the most well-known method of animal assisted therapy is used with dogs. Besides dogs being wonderful companions and helpful to the blind, trained dogs are brought to schools, hospitals, and nursing homes in order to bring joy. Just the simple act of spending time with a dog, and the exercise involved with petting and walking with a dog helps patients and the elderly exert themselves physically. Both the dogs and their owners have to go through a special type of training to be certified “animal assisted therapy” pets. Within the first hour of spending time with a dog, a person’s blood pressure is known to drop, mental function improves, and smiles often show up. Certain trained dogs are able to assist patients with their wheelchair abilities, cognitive function, memory problems, and some patients even adopt maternal instincts while interacting with the animals. Loneliness can be curbed by spending time with a friendly animal and some think cats can also provide such love.

If you or a loved one is suffering from depression, physical or mental disabilities, or recovering from a serious illness, maybe spending time with a furry friend can lend a paw to their recuperation. Also the next time you are feeling down or just want a little pick-me-up, go to your local shelter and play with the animals or volunteer to be a shelter mother or father to puppies or kittens that are not yet ready to be adopted. If you think your fun-loving dog is social and well-behaved enough to be an AAT dog, get in touch with training facilities in your neighborhood and share the love of your pet with someone in need.