Dogs are man’s best friend. Always loyal and ever loving, this trait has made canines an integral and common part of what is fast becoming a common mode of therapy in many health care facilities. Not just dogs but animals in general have long been recognized as having a positive effect on the healing process. Dogs, especially, have a calming effect.
These dogs help people cope with emotional issues, offer physical contact, invoke pleasant memories and they divert a person’s focus from the problems of the day. That’s why they’ve been used to great success as helpers for those people who are in therapy. Dogs are specially trained for their jobs of helping to take care of the sick, the elderly or the infirm.
Currently there are three types of therapy dogs:
a) Facility Therapy Dogs
b) Animal-Assisted Therapy Dogs
c) Therapeutic Visitation Dogs
The first two types assist physical therapists by meeting the requirements for a person’s recovery. They are usually found in hospitals and are permanently assigned there. The most common type of therapeutic dog, however, is the third type.
Therapeutic visitation...