There are many ways health and human service professionals can utilize animal assisted therapy and animal assisted activities to enhance their treatments, and provide rewarding stimulation for their patients and clients. Research has shown that utilizing animals as part of a treatment program can provide very positive outcomes. Physiological effects such as decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as, reduction in pain have often been observed in persons provided with animal assisted therapy. The use of animals in therapy is only limited by the professionals’ imagination and the abilities of the individual animal team with which they work. Some suggestions are:

Increase range of motion by throwing objects to be retrieved, utilizing hand signals to give commands, petting or brushing the animal

Improve standing balance by providing stabilization or interaction from standing position

Improve fine motor skills by petting or brushing

Improve mobility by walking with dog, with or without a device or wheelchair

Utilize petting, stroking, brushing to improve coordination of a persons with apraxia

Improve overall strength by interacting with animal

Speech Therapy

Increase vocal clarity and language production through use of verbal commands

Increase vocal volume/breath support by calling/commanding dog from varying distances

Encourage verbal expression with conversation about animal

Utilize animal response to reinforce patients successful vocalizations

Stimulate cognitive processes by conversing about animal

Improve memory by recalling animals name, age, commands, etc.

Increase attention span of children with ADHD by attending to dog, task and therapist

Provide sensory stimulation for persons with head injury

Improve awareness/multi-tasking by walking dog through obstacles

Counseling

Use animals presence to provide a source of outward focus for persons with depression, eating disorders, etc.

Teach empathy by learning to read an animals body language

Use animal as ‘counselor’ by encouraging patients to communicate their feelings and experiences to the animal

Use animal as a source of physical contact for persons who have been physically or sexually abused

Alleviate social isolation by visiting with animal and handler, or group members

Improve willingness to be involved in group activity by involving an animal

Improve interactions with others by sharing animal’s attention or taking turns interacting

Use animal to provide acceptance without qualification for persons with disabilities