Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Pets as therapy

Does this actually work and what kind of conditions would benefit from pets being used :redface:

Depending on the animal and it's personality they can be brilliant companions and really make a person much happier but unfortunately a lot of people don't really well think things through, mostly I've seen therapy animals used for lonely people or people who for medical reasons aren't as social as others but people need to take into account the effort and money needed to keep a pet, and the age of the animal is an important factor

Reply 2

TheGreaterGood

Original post by demetria

I did not know that.

That is rather amazing :biggrin:

Reply 3

demetria

There always used to be really nice stories on Crufts about dogs (nominees for 'dog of the year') that had changed peoples lives in some way or another and a lot were therapy dogs for elderly or disabled people, you might be able to find them on youtube :smile:

Good website about it here too - https://www.petsastherapy.org/

Reply 4

superwolf

I have depression and my pet mice have been really good for me. :smile:

They give me a reason to get up in the morning to feed them, they stop me dwelling so much on my own problems because I have them to look after, and they really brighten up my day. :smile:

Having said that I definitely wouldn't have got them *solely* because of my depression - you've got to want the animals for themselves too! Demetria made some good points about some people not thinking things through enough.

If you're considering getting a pet, I'd also urge you to get a rescue animal - not only will you be giving an unfortunate pet a home, but rescues on the whole are much more caring about who they home animals to than pet shops, so they'll vet you and make sure you're ready for taking on the responsibility (sounds a bit daunting but it really isn't, and is for both of your benefits :smile:

Reply 5

petromasha

I have chronic health issues and my cat helps me a lot. I have fewer migraines these days with her around (lowered stress levels maybe?) which is great because the type I get paralyse me down one side like a stroke although I still have them chronically. She helps with loneliness when I am stuck at home because of the depression or whatever, and she alerts me when I'm going to have a seizure, then stays with me until I am better.