Pet Therapy and Its Positive Benefits on the Mental Health Community
“Four-Footed Healers Support the Team” is an article written by
Michael Shannon O’Keefe, a writer from Consumer’s Advocate. The link to read the valuable and highly insightful article is pasted above. In this article, it specifically talks about animal and pet therapy and the positive benefits it can have on people, especially those struggling with mental health issues. It has been researched, studied, and proved that animals have been shown to help people in their mood, life and lifestyle, and give them hope to keep going. I have had pet therapy in a variety of ways. In the article, the writer mentions three types of pet therapy: visitation, animal-assisted, and ownership therapy. Read the article to find out what exactly each of those mean and entail. ConsumersAdvocate.org is a company that aims to “to guide people through all of life’s most important [buying] decisions.” I feel very privileged that they reached out to me. I hope you continue to check their website out after reading this article.
From personal experience, I have seen or been given all three types of pet therapy they mention. When I have been hospitalized in the acute term mental health hospitals, they often have pet therapy once or twice a week for about a hour. Volunteers or nonprofit organizations bring dogs for us- the patients- to pet, play with, and spend time loving and caring for. The article lists a variety of positive benefits pets can have on all humans. Besides recreational and art therapy and yoga (haha), it was by far my favorite type of therapy offered at the hospital. It gave us a chance to not focus intrinsically on ourselves and focus outwardly on these God-given animals. They have, in my opinion, been given to us as a reminder and being of hope, comfort, love, care, and understanding. I have met a ton of adorable and sweet dogs through visitation pet therapy as well as the owners themselves being very genuine and sometimes even sharing their own stories and advice. It is always good to get advice and guidance from those with an unbiased and outward perspective. I sincerely hope that pet therapy will continue to be implemented more into society today. The results are obviously beneficial and positive. Plus, who can possibly turn down a precious fluff ball of joy and energy?!
I also experience ownership pet therapy everyday, except when I am away at my summer camp I work at or in college. I love that I have the opportunity to talk about my own lil pup now! I have a lot of passion to talk about him. I have a rescue golden-colored Chihuahua named Comet. I named him that because he loves to jump (aka soar through the sky like a comet). My father surprised me with him. He was rescued the day before he was supposed to be put down and came from three previous homes where he was abused- kicked or thrown by his owners or roughly housed by young children (so my father was told). My father got Comet for me after my childhood dog named CD died after 16 years. She was older than me at the time/my parents got her right before I was born. She was a loyal friend. Comet is personally my dog- one of the best gifts I have ever received who lived a good life. My father got him at a time where my life was crumbling around me and I was unsure if I could take it anymore. High school was a beyond difficult time for me- when my mom left and I found out about her 5 year on and off affair, my parents’ got divorced (obviously), the grief of losing 7 family members or dear family friends (who died from breast cancer, breast cancer for another, multiple myeloma cancer, a rare form of uterine cancer, kidney failure, lung complications, and a heart attack), struggling with my own mental health problems and having to come to terms that this would be my reality from now on, sexual abuse, and other trials. Comet was an extreme source of love, hope, care, and comfort for me in these years and still is today. He has given me more personal responsibility and how to learn how to take care of and love an animal of my own. He sleeps with me at night and follows me everywhere I walk. He comes charging in with one of his many assortment of squeaky toys, wanting to play tug-of-war and fetch (“Stop trying to make fetch happen! It’s not going to happen.” -Mean Girls lol sorry I couldn’t resist). I am thankful for him coming into my life. When we first got him, he was shaking and scared of everyone. Even to this day he hides under tables, chairs, beds, and the corners if he can. He is still facing the repercussions of his abusers, yet he is still a loving, gentle dog. Without him being there for me on the hard, sad days but also the joyous, beautiful days, I would not be the person I am today. That sounds extreme, but I assuredly and wholeheartedly mean it. Moral of my story is get yo self a dog! Haha.
The bigger moral of the story, especially pertaining pet therapy as a whole, is that it is an effective and highly positive form of therapy today. It is for all. All are welcome- both people and dogs. While they are helping you, you are helping them. Never forget the impact we can have on people and animals, even in the smallest, often forgotten ways yet change that person’s or animal’s life in a bigger way than one could ever imagine. We need to work toward implementing pet therapy into society further as well as educating those around us about mental health and how to help. I thoroughly believe we all have an obligation to help others in general in any and every way we can. A place to start is with kindness and positive educating. I want to do my part and am trying to, and I hope you will want to do so too.
I leave you with this quote: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kindest Regards,
Bethany Cohen
