When you come home after a long day and find your pet greeting you and excited that you came home, then you’ve experienced one of the most emotional and therapeutic benefits of owning a pet. When you own a pet, you know how they can get us through life and how they have a significant positive effect on our lives. Today you can find the best therapy animals along with children and adults wherever you go.
It has been proven that therapy animals offer several types of benefit to their owners and are changing many people’s lives. Scientific researches proved that owning and taking care of a pet can provide therapy and improve our lives; even if they aren’t trained enough.
How Therapy Animals Improve Our Lives
Most therapy animals are used in hospitals to contribute to comforting and cheering a sick person. And some animals are trained to take specific action in case of a medical emergency or to provide relaxation. They can also help children with anger management to improve and act better. However, the known reason for therapy animals is to help children with learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties, or mental health issues.
Recently, therapy animals are used in courtrooms. In cases that require the victim to talk about a stressful event or talk face to face with their perpetrator; therapy animals are used to sooth the victim and help them talk about their trauma.
Interacting with one of the best therapy animals can help regulate blood pressure and assist the brain in producing endorphins; this can reduce pain and stress, and improve overall mental state.
Therapy animals can:
- Increase a person’s self-esteem.
- Help your social skills.
- Increase verbal communication
- Improve interactions with others.
- Increase happiness and reduce depression.
- Reduces boredom, loneliness, and isolation.
- Reduce anxiety and stress.
The Best Therapy Animals Are:
Dogs
Needless to say that dogs make the best therapy animals out there. They are the most popular type of therapy animal because of their natural affinity with humans, and they are easier to train. Dogs have been assisting humans since forever, and are known for providing us with companionship. However, therapy dogs are not similar to service dogs.
Therapy dogs can be of any breed, size, or age. Almost all dogs are eligible to be therapy animals. However, the dog should be friendly and non-aggressive to be qualified as a therapy dog.
Cats
Many people believe that therapy cats are only for those who are afraid of dogs or prefer cats more. But in fact, studies found that the vibration of cats’ purring has healing properties. Therapy cats are used in nursing homes; as they walk in and out of the rooms freely, checking on all the patients. And many therapy cats are used to heal people with anxiety, depression, and certain infections. They are also perfect for children with autism and the elderly with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Horses
Horses come as the second-best therapy animal in the world. They can act as an emotional mirror to humans; as you need to be honest and clear to communicate with a horse. Horse therapy is also known as equestrian or equine-assisted, and it has helped many people to recover from almost all kinds of medical conditions. Therapists found that feeling the physical cadence of the horse may stimulate a person’s muscles and spin. And when a person goes horseback riding it can help improve balance, coordination, and physical rehabilitation.
However, you don’t need to go horseback riding in order to improve your health. Equestrian also includes feeding, grooming, and petting a horse, which can assist people with PTSD, Autism, and mood disorders to recover and feel better.
Conclusion
If you ever owned a pet, then you probably know how their presence can change your life to better. However, if you never owned a pet and you’re looking for a therapy animal for you or any family member, you should consult a professional. Choosing a therapy animal should not be based on your preference; it’s more about your medical condition and how a specific animal can improve your life.
