How Pets are Therapy

Natural Healing Power
Companion animals improve the emotional and physical health for people. Caring for a companion animal can provide a sense of purpose, fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation. It's well known that relaxed, happy people do not become ill as often as those who suffer from stress and depression.

Animal companionship also helps lower a person's blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Studies show that having a dog increases survival rates in groups of patients who have suffered cardiac arrest. Dog walking, pet grooming, and petting provide increased physical activity which strengthens the heart, improves blood circulation, and slows the loss of bone tissue. Put simply, pets aren't just good friends, they're good medicine.

Animals as Aides?
Specially trained assistance dogs provide mentally and physically disabled individuals with the gift of independence. Assistance dogs serve as the hands, ears, or eyes of their human companion and assist by performing everyday tasks which may otherwise be difficult or impossible to complete. Dogs may also detect changes in behavior, body language, or odors which precede seizures in their human partners, alerting them so they can seek a safe environment.

Senior Companionship
As people are living longer, sometimes seniors may find themselves living alone because they have outlived loved ones or their families. There is a way, however, for the elderly to find new meaning in their lives, and to redefine what it means to be "young at heart"— by adopting a companion animal from a local shelter. Lady, a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever mix rescued by ARF, has been permanently placed in an assisted care facility to provide unconditional love. It's reported that visits from grandchildren have increased due to the addition of Lady.

ARF knows that the many physical benefits pets confer onto people of all ages. Pets can offer the elderly a sense of well being, a sense of encouragement, and even a reason for living. Being responsible for another life can add new meaning, and caring for and providing a loving home to a companion animal can also help people remain active and healthy.