Category Archives: Therapy Dogs

Pet therapy

17 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by in grounding, Relaxation, Stress, Therapy Dogs, Wellness

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 The Pets for Vets program is dedicated to supporting veterans and providing a second chance for shelter pets by rescuing, training and pairing them with America’s veterans who could benefit from a companion animal.

The Pets… 3 to 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year. These animals can make excellent companion animals but never have that chance. Our dedicated animal trainers will evaluate and rescue the shelter animals and provide additional training to ensure that they are able to assimilate into a home, which is quite different from a shelter environment.servcedog

The Vets… Sadly, there are alarming statistics of suicide, family abuse and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder facing veterans returning to civilian life after military duty. This can cause a downward spiral of apathy, unemployment, broken relationships, addiction and depression. It is our belief that companion animals can be the life saving therapy or friend that many returning service men and women need

Medical studies have shown that companion animals significantly improve mental and physical health, including reducing stress, depression and anxiety, symptoms experienced by many serving in the military.

The Pets for Vets team interviews each veteran to ascertain what he or she is looking for in a companion animal; we pair this with his or her personality and lifestyle to make the perfect veteran-pet match. Once the perfect pet is selected for the veteran, the pet spends time in the home of one of our trainers who teaches the pet basic obedience and other valuable behaviors needed to live with his/her new owner. This can include becoming comfortable with wheel chairs or behaviors needed to help with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Veterans who have a condition that could benefit from a trained companion animal and who are able to care for a pet, are eligible to receive a Pets for Vets companion animal.

http://pets-for-vets.com/

Therapy Dog Gets Honorary Degree

29 Friday May 2020

Posted by in dogs, Pets, Therapy Dogs

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From the Huffpost:

He’s got a Ph.D. in being a very good boy.

Well, technically it’s an honorary doctorate in veterinary medicine, but either way, Moose is a very accomplished dog.

The 8-year-old Labrador retriever has worked as a therapy dog at Virginia Tech’s Cook Counseling Center since 2014. Now, his years of service to students are being celebrated with an honorary degree from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, which is operated by Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland at College Park. Moose was granted the degree at a virtual commencement ceremony on Friday.

See entire article at Huffpost.

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Stock photo of a dog without a degree

Therapy dogs

20 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by in Health, Relaxation, Stress, Therapy Dogs

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A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas.
Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important cha

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racteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily.
A therapy dog’s primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an individual’s lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there. Many dogs contribute to the visiting experience by performing small tricks for their audience or by playing carefully structured games. In hospice environments, therapy dogs can play a role in palliative care by reducing death anxiety.

Therapy dogs

15 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in Health, Relaxation, Stress, Therapy Dogs

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A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas.keystoneTherapyDogs
Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily.
A therapy dog’s primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an individual’s lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there. Many dogs contribute to the visiting experience by performing small tricks for their audience or by playing carefully structured games. In hospice environments, therapy dogs can play a role in palliative care by reducing death anxiety.Therapy-dogs