It takes a special personality, both in dogs and in people to succeed at this valuable activity.
Patients have something to look forward to if a dog and handler make regularly scheduled visits.
Many patients, whether children, elderly people, or people with disabilities, do not get enough of the basic human need to be physically touched. Dogs help fill this need. A therapy dog s visit can bring some people s wandering minds back to the present. Remembering is a good mental exercise, and one benefit of the dog s visit is that it helps stimulate memories. Health care professionals are very enthusiastic about therapy dogs, and psychological studies have shown the positive benefits from interaction between people and dogs.