Why Therapy Dogs Are Important?

Have you ever experienced a bad day where you felt like nothing was going right and the world was out to get you? Have you ever come home after one of those days to find your canine friend waiting at the door as happy as could be to see you? The love is overflowing and your terrible day melts away if only for a few moments, you are enjoying your best friend.

There are many physical benefits that therapy dogs provide such as lowering blood pressure, helping diminish the pain that can result in lower doses of pain medication being taken, and the release of endorphins, or the feel-good hormones. It’s hard to believe that a therapy dog can do all of these wonderful things, but they can.

When we look at the mental health benefits of therapy dogs, it is even greater. A therapy dog can lift spirits and lessen depression. Individuals that suffer from depression tend to isolate or alienate themselves from others, but having a therapy dog can help lessen the feelings of being isolated because you have someone that is there with you so you're not so lonely. The dog also encourages communication because we tend to talk to our pets as if they were another individual in the room with us. And although they do not talk back in the same way that a human companion would, they are able to return communication.

Having a therapy dog creates motivation for the client to become more active. Dogs require time outside to walk, so the client will begin to take the dog on walks thereby getting exercise for themselves which can help with serotonin production. Research studies show that serotonin production becomes elevated through exercise and can be more effective than taking an antidepressant. A therapy dog can help with this goal.

Decreased anxiety is another side effect of having a therapy dog. By providing comfort the client may feel less anxious when the therapy dog is around. Most of the time when we feel anxious our blood pressure rises, the act of petting a therapy dog has been proven through research to lower blood pressure, thus helping relieve some of the anxiety the client may be experiencing.

There are many benefits to having a therapy dog, it is important to have the dog specially trained to perform the duties of a therapy dog. Not all dogs can be therapy dogs. The goal of a therapy dog is to lessen stress, anxiety, and depression, not to encourage it.