Welcome, fur parents and animal lovers! 🐾 Today, we’re going to talk about one of the most amazing creatures on earth - the service dog. These good boys and girls aren’t just pets, but they also play a vital role in Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). In this blog, we will understand what AAT is, the various types of service dogs, and their roles in Animal-Assisted Therapy.

So, let’s dive into the world of service dogs! 🐶

What is Animal-Assisted Therapy? 🐕‍🦺

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a type of intervention that uses animals to enhance a patient’s physical, emotional, social, and cognitive functioning. AAT practitioners utilize different animals, including dogs, horses, cats, birds, and even dolphins, depending on the patient’s needs. AAT has many benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, and improving social skills.

To put it simply, AAT is the prescription of animals to make people feel better!

Illustration of a therapist and patient with service dogs sitting outside

Different Types of Service Dogs 🦮

There are different types of service dogs, and each type of dog has a unique role to play.

Therapy Dogs 🐩

Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort and affection to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and disaster areas. These dogs have a calming effect on patients and alleviate stress and anxiety. They are not allowed to interfere with medical treatment and are often employed in settings where there are no allergy concerns.

Emotional Support Dogs 🥰

Emotional support dogs provide comfort and emotional support to their handlers with various mental and emotional disabilities, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These dogs are not trained to perform specific tasks but are there to provide comfort and companionship to their handlers. Emotional support dogs require a letter of prescription from a medical professional.

Service Dogs 🛡️

Service dogs are specially trained to perform various tasks to assist people with disabilities. They are trained to perform tasks based on their handler’s needs, such as opening and closing doors, fetching objects, and alerting their handlers of medical emergencies. Service dogs have public access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are allowed to accompany their handlers into any public place.

Facility Dogs 🏥

Facility dogs are trained to work in a specific facility, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. They assist therapists and educators in their work by providing comfort and emotional support to patients and students. Facility dogs help patients and students to build trust, learn, and engage in therapeutic activities.

Four service dogs in different settings, a nursing home, a hospital, a school, and a public place, sit with their handlers

The Role of Service Dogs in AAT 🐾

Service dogs play a crucial role in AAT. They help patients with different disabilities to develop essential skills such as communication, movement, self-care, and socialization. Service dogs also help to facilitate positive interactions between the patient and the therapist by providing comfort and reducing anxiety.

In AAT, service dogs can perform many tasks, such as:

  • Assisting with physical exercises
  • Reducing anxiety
  • Providing sensory stimulation
  • Helping with speech therapy
  • Encouraging socialization
  • Reducing isolation

Service dogs can also benefit patients in rehabilitation and recovery from physical injuries, such as stroke and traumatic brain injuries. They help the patient regain mobility, balance, and coordination by performing tasks such as helping patients stand, carry objects, and retrieve dropped items.

Illustration of a therapist and patient with a service dog performing physical exercises

Conclusion 🐾

So there you have it! Service dogs are not just pets, but they’re also incredible creatures that provide comfort, assistance, and hope to those in need. In AAT, service dogs play a vital role in helping patients overcome physical, emotional, social, and cognitive barriers.

Let’s give these amazing creatures the recognition and respect they deserve! 🐾🦮🐩🐕‍🦺

A group of service dogs posing for a photo with their handlers behind them