Therapeutic Benefits People Receive from Dogs

Therapeutic Benefits People Receive from Dogs

Introduction

Everyone knows that pets help to keep a person happy. However, there is plenty of scientific evidence available that show that the health of individuals can increase drastically if they have pets at home. This is one of the reasons people tend to keep pets at home especially dogs, cats, and birds. Even in nursing homes and hospitals, it is quite common to find pets. People have been keeping pets since thousands of years and the numbers of pets are constantly increasing (National Geographic, 2012). This paper sets to determine the impact pets have on people especially patients and school children.

Discussion

The therapeutic benefits of animals especially dogs have had a positive impact on the way people view pets. This has also led to healthcare organizations keeping pets in order to greet patients and give them a short relief away from their illness. Dogs are the most common pets at healthcare organizations since they are friendly and do not require much care.

The history of keeping pets because of their therapeutic benefits can be dates back to Florence Nightingale who recognized the fact that the presence of pets at the institutional care of the mentally ill helped speed up the healing process. However, it was not until the 1970's when scientific evidence proved this fact. Early studies conducted showed that people with pets lived longer compared to those who did not. Another research determined that petting a canine helps reduce the blood pressure especially of elderly people (Rovner, 2012).

The bond between humans and animals is not new. People kept pets since thousands of years without any scientific evidence that it helps to improve life. Although the therapeutic effects have recently been discovered, it has been claimed since several years.

The people ...