Therapy Dog

Dogs are wonderful therapy and great stress relievers. They can make you laugh when your sad. They show you affection when you need it most without any expectations from you. My faithful friend waits for me to come home from work everyday. She waits right by the door. As soon as I acknowledge her, she begins to wag her stubby tail. It is not long before the stress of my day is a faint memory and I have turned my focus to my loyal sidekick.

There have been studies done about the calming affect of petting a dog. Dogs can be trained to visit convalescent homes and sick children. Dogs trained as therapy dogs are known as comfort animals. Comfort animals improve physical and emotional function in many patients while reducing loneliness. Petting and stroking an animal allows the patient physical touch and companionship. Therapy dogs frequently come in contact with people in wheelchairs or hospital related equipment. These dogs must be comfortable being around equipment especially if it makes unusual sounds. A therapy dog is trained to offer comfort to hospital patients and those in nursing homes and mental facilities. Therapy dogs change tears to smiles. Dogs offer unconditional love and a level of patience that no human could ever possibly give. Therapy dogs can give a great deal of comfort and companionship to the hurt and lonely. For more information, go here!