Animal-Assisted Therapy and the Health Benefits of Pet Ownership

Research indicates that pets provide health benefits for their owners, and animal-assisted therapy provides significant educational, psychological, and physical health benefits for those in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities.

This page offers articles and resources on pet therapy and the health benefits animals provide for the people who love them. For more animal articles, visit the main Animals page.

 

Pet Therapy and Health Benefits Articles

Animal-Assisted Therapy Providers (profiles of some major pet therapy providers in various regions, including North America, India, Asia, and the UK)

The Health Benefits of Owning a Cat (research shows that cat ownership provides physical and mental health benefits; the majority of these benefits are also associated with dog ownership)

Owning a Cat Reduces heart Attack Risk (findings of a large-scale study link cat ownership with reduced risk of heart attacks)

Cats Reduce Risk of Kids Developing Asthma (a recent study shows that living with a cat from a very young age reduces the likelihood of children becoming asthmatic)

Cat Heroes (cats that have saved lives, and cats that provide assistance and therapy to people and other animals)

Prison Cats (profiles of cat therapy programs in various prisons and the benefits they have on inmates)

On Suite101

Mobility-Assistance Dogs for Parkinson's Disease (how specially trained dogs can help those with Parkinson's disease)

Dogs Detect Cancer in People (studies of the ability of dogs to sniff out cancerous cells)

Seizure-Response and Seizure-Alert Dogs (service dogs with special training to assist epileptic individuals)

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Pet Therapy Resources

The following websites provide information on the benefits of animal-assisted therapy and volunteering with pets. There are pet therapy programs in Canada, the U.S., India, China, Japan, the UK, and many other countries.

Individual Animal-Assisted Therapy Organizations and Programs

Animal Angels Foundation (Mumbai, India) – Provides animal-assisted therapy for children with developmental and learning disabilities and emotional and behavioural disorders, as well as visits to nursing homes and orphanages

Dr. Dog (throughout Asia) – Facilitates therapy animal visits to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.

Pets as Therapy (UK) – Facilitates therapy dog and cat visits to day centers, hospitals, hospices, residential care homes, special needs schools, etc.

Project POOCH (Oregon, U.S.) – Pairs young offenders and shelter dogs for rehabilitative purposes

The Delta Society (U.S.) – Sends animal-assisted therapy teams to schools, nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, etc. (for articles and other resources on the health benefits of interacting with animals, see the Delta Society’s Library)

Therapeutic Paws of Canada – Organizes visits to seniors’ facilities such as nursing homes, Alzheimer’s day away centers, hospitals, and other establishments, and runs the Paws to Read program for children with reading difficulties

Therapy Animals Supporting Kids (TASK) (American Humane Association) – Provides therapy animals to support traumatized children in various contexts; Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS) Program (American Humane Association) – Works to enable women and children escaping domestic violence to keep their pets

Directories of Animal-Assisted Therapy Providers

Alternative Solutions in Long Term Care Directory of Animal-Assisted Therapy Organizations (predominantly North American)

Land of PureGold Foundation Directory of Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs (comprehensive U.S. listing, some Canadian, Indian, Italian, and UK organizations)

DMOZ Open Directory Listing of Animal-Assisted Therapy Providers (North America)

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