Therapy involves meeting with a therapist to discuss problems, issues, feelings and thoughts. It also, hopefully, involves resolving the difficulties a person may face.

 

Pet Therapy is a form of therapy. It is based on an old idea, that animals can be caring and comforting companions.

 

Pet therapy involves the individual, the pet therapist and an animal.  The aim of pet therapy is to help a person to cope with the difficulties they may be experiencing.

Another term that is used for pet therapy is AAT (animal assisted therapy). In this article, we will use the term pet therapy.

 

Why Use Pets in Therapy?

Animals tend to be comforting and caring. They are also beneficial to humans in a number of ways –

• They tend to be friendly and non-threatening. Not always of course, but a pet therapist would only work with animals that are suitable. If an animal is in the home, then the owners will also need to try to ensure that the pet is friendly and non-threatening. Of course, all animals can be dangerous if harmed or mistreated, but a well-treated, well-behaved and friendly pet can be a great addition to any home, and to pet therapy.
• Children and adults can develop emotional connections with their pets and animals.
• Pets can be fun.
• They provide affection on demand.
• They are non-judgemental.
• They can help to reduce stress. Stroking a pet has been found to reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
• Some pets can also increase social interactions. For example, walking a dog daily on the same route can help the owner to develop relationships, talking to others, engaging in social interactions.
• Pets can keep a secret. We can tell a pet something and know that it will go no further. Pets can share our private and secret moments without fear of judgement or disclosure.
• Pets also offer companionship and comfort.
• They can help to teach children and adults about the cycle of life and death. The loss of a pet can often be the first time that a child experiences a loss or understands what death means.
• Pets can also teach us about responsibilities and compassion. Caring for a pet is a responsibility. It means that we have to feed them daily. Walk them daily or change their litter daily. It requires us to commit to that responsibility to care for the animal well.

So how does pet therapy work?

Pet therapy involves the pet therapist and their animal/pet meeting with an individual client, or a small group of people.

How pet therapy works will vary.

Having a pet at home is not the same as pet therapy, but some of the aspects of pet therapy are similar to having a pet at home.

• The person may feel more calmed and relaxed.
• The pet therapist may encourage the person to care for an animal, such as feeding them, or walking them.

Some people may talk whilst they pet the animal or engage with the animal.

Whilst other people may be less verbal. They may simply want to spend time with the animal, finding it a relaxing and calming situation. Eventually they might begin to talk to the therapist, but it is not always the very first step.

The first step is to encourage the person to develop a calming and relaxing relationship with the therapist and the animal.

Pet therapy can be carried out as a –

• Structured session – for example, the pet therapist might meet a person once a week for a pet therapy session.
• Less structured sessions – where the pet and pet therapist are involved with the person more casually when the person requires support.
• Outreach sessions – Some pet therapists offer outreach sessions. For example, in the UK, some cafes offer pet therapy days, where people can go for a coffee and meet pets. It can be a good way for them to mix with other people who may be struggling and increase their social interactions with others, including the pet.

What types of animals are used in pet therapy?

Many animals can be used in pet therapy. The type of animal that is used really depends on how the pet therapy is organised.

For example, if pet therapy involves a person petting or talking to animal, then, obviously, we have to make sure that the animal is safe. Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, sometimes lizards and snakes are used, for example.

Other types of pet therapy can involve a person caring for an animal. This can involve dogs, cats, guinea pigs, lizards and snakes. But it can also involve other animals, such as birds, fish, horses and other animals.

Who Can Benefit From Pet Therapy?

Pet therapy can be useful for many different groups of people.  For example, children and adults with –

• Dementia
• Mental health difficulties
• Social phobias
• Social anxiety
• Phobias
• Disabilities
• Mobility issues

Also –

• People rehabilitating after an injury or operation
• People who have experience a trauma

Really, anyone is suffering from difficulties in their life can benefit from pet therapy.

Of course, not everyone will benefit from pet therapy.

Not everyone likes animals. If someone has a severe phobia of dogs, for example, they will not find pet therapy with a dog relaxing and calming. Far from it.

They may find other pets relaxing and calming, perhaps a snake or guinea pig or horse.

But if a person struggles with animals, then pet therapy is probably not the right route for them.

What are the benefits of pet therapy?

Pet therapy can be helpful in many different ways –

• As we have already said, it can provide a calming and comforting environment for the person.
• It can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, which can be helpful for people who are stressed or who suffer cardiovascular difficulties.
• Stroking an animal can release endorphins. These are the feel good hormones, so it improves our mood.
• The release of endorphins can also reduce stress, help alleviate pain and improve the person’s overall psychological state.
• Caring for a pet as part of pet therapy can also be useful for people who are experiencing depression and dementia and find it hard to maintain a daily routine. For example, a person with depression may find it hard to get out of bed some days. If they have a pet who needs to be fed or walked or cared for in some way can provide that stimulus to get out of bed. For people with dementia, the daily routine of walking a dog, feeding them, letting them outside etc can help them to maintain a routine.
• Caring for a pet can also help improve people’s self-esteem. A person may feel that they do not have much to offer the world, but they can care for a pet, look after them, be loved by that pet unconditionally.
• Pet therapy can also help people with mobility issues or those who need to exercise more. It is not just about walking a dog. Pet therapy might also involve grooming a dog, cat or horse, cleaning out a stable, cleaning out a bird cage, snake tank etc. These are all physical activities.
• Social support is important for all of us. Humans are social creatures and need other humans and animals. Animals can help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.
• They can also help to reduce boredom.
• Pet therapy can also help people to develop empathy and recognise how others may feel.

Are you interested in becoming a pet therapist?

Consider –

• The obvious question is – do you like animals? It is not essential to like all You may wish to focus on furry animals, for example. Or you might want to focus on reptiles. Choose an animal/animals that suit you.
• Are you good with animals? Pet therapy animals need to be calm, friendly and well-trained. Do you have experience of training animals to behave like this?
• Now remember, humans are animals too. So, are you good with the human animal? To be a pet therapist, you need to be able to communicate well with people. You need to be a good listener.
• You also need to be able to give instructions. The human animal can be unpredictable, as can any animal. A child might suddenly scream, an adult might suddenly sneeze or laugh loudly. This might scare an animal. You need to be firm, explaining to the human how they should treat the pet. What they should and shouldn’t do? So that the animal and the human have a nice, calming session.
• Also consider that you need to be a good organiser? You need to make sure that you know when your appointments are and you turn up on time. If a person is struggling with things, it is important that you develop a trusting relationship with them. Being late or not turning up at all can lose that trust.
• As well as organising appointments, it is important to make sure you are well organised in caring for the pets involved in your therapy. Their food, their exercise, keeping any cages or their habitat clean etc.

A Rewarding Career

Pet Therapy is a rewarding and beneficial career. It is one that is helpful to the individual you are working with, the pet will hopefully enjoy it too, and you will have the satisfaction of helping people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

• You can work as a pet therapist full time or it can be a part time business on the side.
• You can also work as a paid pet therapist or a volunteer pet therapist.

It is a flexible career to fit in with you and your lifestyle.

 

What next?

1. Decide how you would like to work as a pet therapist. Full time, part time, paid or as a volunteer. You might want to start as a volunteer/part time, then move onto part full time in the future. Or jump straight into full time.
2. What animals would you like to work with? If you do not already have animals, find out which ones would be suitable. Look more into the type of pets, how they should be trained.
3. Undertake training if necessary. We offer an online Pet Therapy course, which you can view here.
4. You might also consider developing or expanding your counselling skills in the future.

 

If you have any questions, our Pet Therapy tutors are more than happy to help. So please feel free to email us