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Pet Therapy Research Paper

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As I stated before, pet therapy is used in order to treat patients who wrestle with emotional and mental behavioral disorders in their daily lives (Dogtime 1). This is not a new experimental therapy, in fact more than 150 years ago the use of pets in the medical field started to become popular (Rovner 1). The natural human instinct of the fear of being judged and the difficulties of opening up can cause stress in a patient's life. Animals, on the other hand, accept people for who they are without judgment or threatening behaviors. Animals allow people to wholeheartedly interact with them, which improves the mood and self esteem of a patient (Dogtime 2). Pet therapy is often used in care homes, hospitals, treatment centers, schools, and nursing …show more content…
However, pet therapy can’t always cure a disorder. It enables the patient to open up to their psychiatrist and it also allows someone to deal with their disorder and still live their life effectively. The goal of pet therapy is to increase the self esteem of the patient, to decrease anxiety or loneliness, and to improve verbal and social communications or skills (Giorgi 3). Pet therapy is accomplished through the supervision of medical professionals in psychology and the medical field (Therapy Animal 1). The animal and its handler are specially trained in order to fit the specific needs of each patient. A great example is a child who has to sit in a doctor's office all day due to medical reasons and become bored and lonely. Bringing an animal into the hospital allows the patient to distract himself from their disease and to bring hope into their life. Even though this seems like such a small thing, it’s like giving a child ice cream after they receive a shot. It distracts them from the pain with something that brings them happiness. Animals provide both hope and comfort for a human. There are many programs that deal with pet therapy. For example, the American Humane Association trains handlers and animals (Therapy Animals 3). In this program, the animals must be obedient and trustworthy. They must be trained and reliable in order to work with patients (Therapy Animal1). As Debbie Custance puts it, pet therapy may sound “simplistic”to many humans; however, simplicity is what makes the connection between animals and humans so powerful

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