Programs

This involves social interaction, the experience of delight, and multiple therapeutic benefits derived from canine companionship. It is used with both children and adults. Studies have shown that being around dogs, playing with them, and just handling them decreases stress, increases physical activity, relieves depression and anxiety, calms and motivates patients in hospitals and rehab centers, and helps normalize difficult situations. Groups of people that have benefited from Canine Assisted Therapy include nursing home patients, hospice patients and their families, special education students and children, autistic children, children with behavioral problems, prison inmates, teenagers and adults with substance abuse problems, senior citizens, hospital patients, and rehabilitation patients. Canine Assisted Therapy works particularly well for very young children and autistic kids who are not verbal because they are too young for talk therapy. It also works well for children that do not trust adults and children that have difficulty focusing and sitting still. A child that is learning how to give a dog commands also learns how to appreciate the fact that other people would feel good if he (or she) did what was asked of him because he feels good when the dog follows his directions. Dogs also take a person’s mind off their problems and off stressful events such as school tests, hospital procedures and operations, and stressful family visits and events. We have companions on-site and team members that take them out to other facilities.