Enjoy a Safe Holiday Season with Your Dog The holidays bring lots of smiles and joy this time of year. While you are busy prepping food and parties, sometimes your dog is not your first priority. Did you know that there are some safety concerns for your dog during the holidays, including toxic foods, fire [...]
Training A Rescue Dog To Share Smiles And Joy Adopting a rescue pet is a rewarding experience but training a rescue dog can feel like a daunting next step for you and your new companion. Rescue animals are known to be standoffish and even afraid when entering their new home, which can make the training [...]
Fall is an enjoyable time; the weather cools off and everyone begins looking forward to the many holidays that occur in the last half of the year. Halloween is an especially enjoyable time with therapy dogs because many people love seeing dogs dressed up in cute bandanas and costumes. As volunteers, we should always make [...]
Paws On The Field: Support For Athletes From rigorous training schedules to heated competitions, compassionate support for athletes is crucial. Beneficially, one of the most heartwarming and effective forms of support is the presence of therapy dogs. These adorable and loyal companions offer a unique blend of emotional and mental relief that can benefit athletes [...]
Benefits of Pet Therapy For Teens Growing up comes with a wide range of challenges and pet therapy for teens offers many benefits. The stress of academic performance, peer relationships, social media, physical appearance, and societal pressure can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression. With these overwhelming pressures, teenagers may struggle to find coping [...]
Therapy Dog Training Are you thinking about training your pet to become a therapy dog? The training process doesn’t have to be daunting. If your dog listens to you, obeys basic commands, and has a calm demeanor, you are more than halfway there! Read on to learn more about training your pup for this role. [...]
Photo credit: ATD Former Board Member Peggy Grookett Free Therapy Dog Home Visits Dogs can be wonderful for our well-being. When we take them for walks, we step outside and exercise, when we are feeling low, they are nearby, ready to snuggle. Though some people may not be able to experience the joys of being [...]
Therapy Dogs and Mental Health Benefits Therapy dogs and mental health benefits go hand-in-hand. Therapy dogs have become increasingly popular in facilities such as college campuses, airports, hospitals, home visits, and more venues. There are several reasons for this but one of the major factors is the positive impact therapy dogs have on mental health. [...]
What Breeds Are Well Suited To Become Therapy Dogs? A certified therapy dog provides comfort to people other than their handlers or owners. They visit facilities such as hospitals, airports, funeral homes, schools, nursing homes, and other locations with their handlers to brighten the day of those they visit. Read on to learn about what [...]
Generally speaking, animal-assisted therapy aims to reduce or, in some cases, assist people in coping with certain symptoms of variable circumstances. Depending on the patient's condition, the dog breed, and the therapy type, the primary function of therapy dogs differs considerably. It has been scientifically proven that the relationship between therapy dogs and their owners [...]
