Therapy Dogs Essay

Pets have long been known to have beneficial health effects on people, both physically and mentally. However, for someone with severe mental illnesses like major depression and anxiety, a psychiatric service dog can be a life-saver. With time, these dogs become more attuned to the needs of their handler/human, and can often recognize signs that even other people cannot. These non-judgmental, loyal, and trained animals can provide the right kind of care to mental health patients and set them on the path to

There has been a long history with animals and their natural bonds with humans for many decades now. Dogs have helped people with a multitude of illnesses for some time now, however Americans were not the first to discover this natural trait in animals. The Germans during World War 1 were the first to discover this. In the book, History of Guide Dog Use by Veterans it states that the German army in particular “relied heavily on the use of German shepherds as ambulance and messenger dogs. The Germans reportedly used more than 25,000 dogs during World War I. ' these dogs were ideally suited for this type of work, with ell-known traits such as trainability, loyalty, intelligence, strength, and endurance” (Ostermeier 587). In today 's society, we have numerous people who are unaware of the services that animals can provide for humans. Specifically humans with mental or physical disabilities. In this paper I will present various types of service animals as well as the many services they provide.

Service dogs are trained to assist people with physical and mental impairments. They are not pets. It was not until after World War I that a modern guide dogs school was founded. However, the United States did not have a Seeing Eye dog until 1928. Today there are many service dog schools such as Guide Dogs of America and Occupaws. The American’s with Disabilities Act guaranties that people with service dogs cannot be refused service at restaurants, stores, health care facilities, places of lodging, or recreational settings. To obtain a service dog, a person must be legally disabled and able to train with the dog for 3-6 months. It costs an average of $25,000 to breed, train, and certify the dogs. It is usually free of charge for the visually

Imagine life in darkness. Imagine feeling around unstably, reaching out for the wall, the door, the person in front of you. Imagine the fear of not knowing where you are or if you are in danger. Now, imagine that you have a loyal, trustworthy guide. You are no longer afraid. You no longer worry about finding your way. You are safe in the hands of a close friend who is with you all times of the day. This companion is not a human however, it is a loyal guide dog. Guide dogs around the world assist humans who have disabilities. Guide dogs are not the only animals who help humans though. Service animals, therapy animals, and even pets all can assist and affect humans in many ways. For years animals have aided in the medical field and new ways for animals to help humans continue to be discovered today. Animals positively affect human health by benefiting humans with their general well being, with physical disabilities, and aiding in the recovery of veterans.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The Service Dog program focuses on training dogs with skills necessary to provide support to individuals with physical and mental health problems, specifically anxiety, panic disorders and depression. The organization itself does not provide service dogs to individuals. However, it provides soft benefits by assisting individuals with finding training professionals in their local areas. The training professionals in turn partner individuals with mental health problems with trained service dogs. Through the Service Dogs program individuals are provided with other soft benefits as well as they are directed to training schools and organizations with lesson plans, manuals, consulting services, and specific training support. Additionally, the program offers educational opportunities through public speaking events, clinics and seminars.

For people with disabilities, performing daily tasks prove to be a challenge. People with severe disabilities are given medication and regular therapy to help them improve their daily lives. For some, however, this is not enough. Service dogs, animals specifically trained to aid their disabled owners in their everyday lives, may be a solution to these people. Service dogs are a common type of professional working dog and have several branches/classifications. Each classification is trained to perform specific tasks and are given different privileges/rights when it comes to public access. A service animal, such as an assistance dog, performs specific tasks or provides aid in another form to their disabled owner while other professional working

Historically dogs have served many purposes for humans. They have been used for hunting rodents, disposing of pesky rodents, fighting wars, protecting people as well as valuables, and tending to livestock (Staats et al, 2008). In today’s American society, dogs have become a first option to serve as companions and new additions to families. However, that is not the only purpose that canines serve. Dogs can also be of assistance to people with disabilities, military and police services, and therapeutic practices as well as a companion. To accommodate to the growing demand for pet or service dogs, it has become increasingly easier to buy or adopt them. There are now many options of how to obtain a dog. There are options such as breeders, Petland,

For millions of years dogs have remained a constant companion of man. Bred from the aggressive and formidable Gray Wolf tens of thousands of years ago the domestic dog now lives in many homes across the world. Where in the far distant past the domestic dog was bred as a guard animal, a beast of burden, and even a food source the dogs of today are bred for a far more endearing purpose-companionship and love. Finding a pet dog that is more of a joy than a chore is necessary when asking: How much is that puppy in the window?

June 15, 2016, I had finally understood the importance that dogs had on humans. Walking into Rescue Village on that beautiful Summer day, my heart was racing because I knew it was the day I could adopt my first rescue dog. This day made my life completely different from that point forward. I chose to adopt a dog and to care for her and I was now not only responsible for myself but for a helpless dog. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, I am not the only one who chose to take on the responsibility of a dog, “Sixty-two percent of all U.S. households – more than 72.9 million total – include one more companion animals” (Companion Animal). A companion animal is defined as, “… our best friends, confidents, and help make the family complete”

Joey Trotta Mr. Donoghue Research paper Date 3-15-18 “A service animal is defined as an animal that provides assistance related to a person’s disability, and enjoys broad access to public locations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II and Title III.” ( ————-)Their purpose is to provide help to people with disabilities if they cannot physically do something. Service dogs and other assistance animals have been placed under one of the three categories: service animals, therapy animals, and emotional support animals. These animals must be trained at a young age and must follow procedures and pass classes instructed by a professional. A service animal may experience many tough challenges each day and will perform certain tasks for

Understanding the Service Dogs Service Dogs or Assistive dogs are the specifically trained dogs to assist people suffering from disabilities which limit them to perform the day-to-day tasks without assistance. They are highly trained companions which work as part of a team with their disabled partners. The main purpose of keeping a service dog is to help the disabled person attain a certain level of safety and independence from their disabilities would otherwise limit them. The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) define “service dog” under its broader definition of “service animal”. “Service Animal” (ADA Subsection 36.104): “Any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding people with impaired vision, alerting people with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair or fetching dropped items,

Introduction: I. Many people in our community own or have owned a dog in the past. II. Most people enjoy being around a well behaved dog, rather than around a hound who does not know boundaries, but how do they do it? III. I own an eighty-pound boxer

For my twenty percent time project I chose to do a project on therapy dogs. I did this project because I love dogs and helping people. One question I was hoping to have answered was how different people reacted to the dogs and how the dogs reacted or interacted with the people. I had this question answered by a few different people. During this project, I went to an assisted living place named Edgewater. While visiting Edgewater I was with Abigail Watkins, Vikki Yoder and the therapy dog named Shadow. Shadow is a black golden doodle. He is a very well trained dog with lots of experience.

The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in human history. They quickly became widespread across world cultures. Dogs perform many roles for people. Examples of these are but not limited to: service and assistance work, therapy work, search and rescue, herding, show dogs, police dogs, and entertainment. In some cultures, dogs are also an important source of meat. In 2012, Stanley Coren Ph.D. F.R.S.C. states that there are an estimated 525 million dogs all over the world (Coren 2012). Over the span of thousands of years the dog has been domesticated, it has diverged into a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by

It is often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. In the last 14,000 years, dogs have accompanied man by helping him hunt, guard, and protect. In our modern world, dogs help us combat in war, search-and-rescue, guide the blind, deaf, discapacitated, rehabilitate patients in therapy, aid law enforcement, and are part of our family as beloved pets (Coren). Although canine superstars such as Lassie, Old Yeller, and Rin Tin Tin portray the perfect dog we all want in our lives, these ideals are far from the truth. Many first-time dog owners expect dogs to know behaviors such as how to walk on a leash, not bite, not destroy the house, and in addition to many others. In reality, dogs must be trained on what their handler wants them to do. It is