They don't want anything from you and they don't have to say the right thing. They don't expect anything except perhaps a pat. The observation that pets are good for people is anything but new. In the 1790s, the Quakers at a retreat for the mentally ill in England had patients commune with farm animals, which they felt would be more helpful than the harsh treatment often used on those with psychiatric problems. What's new is the reception pet therapy is receiving.
Owners also benefit from the therapy.
It's a thrill to watch the dogs bring so much happiness and know that if I weren't there, they wouldn't be getting this pleasure, explains Tuccio. In prison,there are few pleasures, but one is raising seeing-eye dogs and animals that have been rescued from the humane society. In 18 Ohio penitentiaries, model patients in minimum and medium security keep the dogs with them until the animals are ready to be placed. The screening process for prisoners is rigorous. Their whole personality changes,' says Donald Coble, administrative assistant in the Bureau of Community Service for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.