How Animals Help People -- The Healing Power of Pets

 This is a republished article by an author named Indigo Janson 

Check out her page- https://hubpages.com/@indigoj and read this specific article - https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/pets-for-therapy

Animals Helping People in Many Different Ways

We sometimes forget how much animals help people and even when we greatly love the pets and animals we care for, it's all too easy to take them for granted. We can forget that they, too, care for us.

The truth is, animals help humans in so many ways. For example, you've probably heard about the idea of pets for therapy. Whether dogs, cats, horses, or other animals, pets can be beneficial to our health both via animal-assisted therapy schemes and also though simply sharing your life with a companion animal.

Discover here some of the many amazing ways in which animals help people. Also be sure to read through the many comments on this page, where readers like you have shared their stories of the comfort and happiness their wonderful pets have brought into their lives.

Cats and Dogs bring Comfort

Animal Assisted Therapy with Cats and Dogs

What role do dogs and cats play in helping humans?

We all know that dogs can become an invaluable companion for the blind and partially-sighted, and the 'hearing dog' for the hearing-impaired and deaf is also familiar. However, this is just the beginning of a long list of roles that animals can play in helping humans who are emotionally damaged or physically impaired in some way.

Here are some of the ways in which cats and dogs help humans in need:

Working with abused children and women -- e.g. Tango, a Yellow Lab who is a ray of sunshine in the lives of troubled kids at a Des moines shelter.

Helping to ease the fears of patients in hospitals -- e.g. Maverick the Yellow Lab is a gently reassuring presence at the bedsides of stroke victims.

Being a friend to HIV/AIDS patients and giving them a positive focus -- e.g. Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) helps those with disabling illnesses to obtain the companionship a cat or dog can bring.

Forming a bond with children with autism -- e.g. Clover, an animal shelter cat, became a patient and loving companion for a small autistic boy, and was the one member of the family he could relate to.

Comforting the elderly and working with Alzheimers patients, helping them to access emotions and memories. -- e.g. Flash, a handsome tabby cat, brings comfort to nusing home residents in his weekly visit.

(The most famous nursing home cat is Oscar who is said to have predicted the deaths of many elderly patients.)

Could your Dog be a Therapy Dog? - Here's how!

Other Animals Help Too!

Pigs in nursing homes and ferrets in hospitals!

While our canine and feline friends are much loved and appreciated for all the joy they bring to those in need, they are not the only animals to play a role in emotional or physical healing.

A UK nursing home has brought smiles to residents with a pet farm that includes rabbits and guinea pigs, a goat and chickens. But the best-loved animals of all seem to be the pigs -- residents find them a lot of fun and enjoy feeding them. What's more, the old folk have noted that their grandchildren are now a lot keener to visit too!

Horses are also recognized for their power to heal. These sensitive and intelligent creatures have helped many people with special needs to develop emotional and physical skills

Ferrets might not come to mind when you think of a therapy animal, but sick kids in hospitals have found them a source of fun and even helped them to express their fearsHealth Benefits from Pets in our Homes

Animal companions help in all areas of life

Animal-assisted therapy is not the only way to experience the comfort of an animal's quiet and soothing presence. Any of us who gives a home to an animal can also experience the health benefits of pet ownership.

A cat's purr is a uniquely soothing sound, and the wagging tail of a dog can lift your spirits in times of trouble. It has been scientifically proven, too, that pets are a factor in lowering blood pressure.

Rabbits, ferrets, hamsters and birds all offer companionship. And many of us find it wonderfully relaxing to watch fish swim in an aquarium.

A Connection with Horses Helps an Autistic Child - The story of a journey of healing

The parents of this autistic boy discovered the incredible effect that horses had on him, leading them to take him on a healing journey to Mongolia. The father, Rupert Isaacson, has written a book about their experiences and has opened his own horse therapy center for autistic children.

Discover more about The Horse Boy: A Memoir of Healing on Amazon.com.

So how about a Therapy Duck?

Have we gone quackers?

That's right... we've seen plenty of dutiful dogs and caring cats, some cuddly bunnies and fun-loving ferrets, even a therapy owl. But a therapy duck? Meet Peepers the mallard in this 2 minute video and find out how even ducks (in diapers) are helping people.

Hug Your Favorite Animal

This is the best part of the page -- it's where you tell me what animals mean to you. People have left some of the most amazing comments here and if you have time I recommend you have a read of some of them.

I love to hear your stories or simply your reactions to the idea of pets as therapy. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and share.