Animals for Comfort and Health

Companion animals improve our lives in many ways. They are certainly a loving presence that can calm and comfort, especially in this time of covid isolation faced by many, especially older individuals who live alone.

 It is said that petting an animal lowers blood pressure, plus having a dog that you must walk every day forces you to exercise which does your ticker good, no matter your age, while oxygenating your whole being.

And dogs can serve us. Arlene, a recently retired friend who lives in the country, now spends her time volunteering as a trainer of service dogs for those who are deaf or blind. “For me it’s a labor of love. We all have to give back, but I think I’m getting back a lot more than I give,” she points out. She says that therapy dogs provide help for humans on many levels, anything from educational, motivational and mental needs, as well as for socialization.

Therapy dogs visit schools and hospices, seniors in hospital and care facilities as well as children undergoing medical treatments, bringing with them love, smiles and pure joy. But they also bring comfort in many other areas. I recently read about a program which gives children who struggle with reading out loud an opportunity to practice by reading to a therapy dog.

Therapy dogs are also used in disaster areas to help people cope with very stressful situations. I’ve even read of therapy dogs helping those with an uncontrolled fear of dentists. I may talk to my dentist about this since I remember (perhaps you do too) less than fondly the old noisy drills at the root of my apprehension of the dental chair. But I digress. 

In our current electronic age, therapy dogs may be needed to help those with an addiction to texting. Recently our local media reported that a young woman killed herself in the subway while texting. Instead of entering the train through the door as she assumed she was doing while distracted by texting, she stepped between two cars and was crushed. A therapy dog could have prevented the tragedy.

While I am a dog person, some people prefer cats. Cats can certainly bring comfort and be a welcome presence in a home, but I don’t believe cats can be trained to be of service to their owners the way a dog can. Of course, on the plus side, while they can help people cope with stressful situations by simply being close they don’t need to go for a walk a couple or more times a day. A definite welcome element for those who are older or living with mobility limitations.