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Therapy Dog

© Jewl Ann Wall

Therapy Dogs

I would like to talk about a service dog that does not go out in the public but is just as much needed as a regular service dog. A therapy dog is one who provides individuals with the companionship and comfort for their needs.

These dogs are not covered under the ADA act and are not allowed to go in public but are for home use. These dogs are great for older people who are home bound and for people in nursing homes. They are also trained for children who are home bound, who are autistic or who have other disabilities as well.

They tend to be small dogs, so they can lie in the lap of the owner or person of need. People find it comforting to be able to stroke and pet the dog and to have a friend to hold, someone they can talk to, even if their speech is impaired. Animals of all kinds seem always to know what we are talking about.

When someone is home bound, it is nice to have someone there at all times. Even though this is a dog and not a human, it is still comforting to have the pet to talk to. You do not feel as lonely. I know this from experience, being home 24/7 for the last five years.

In nursing homes, too, the dogs help to calm and comfort the patients. There have been people who do not talk or acknowledge people, but they become different people when the dogs were brought around.

These wonderful dogs are not to be forgotten just because they cannot go in public like other service dogs. They, too, have a big job and they do it well. I have helped a number of people find an organization for one. Just the other day someone asked for one for an autistic young man in Arizona.

These dogs are often ones who did not make it through service dog training. An example is one that was to be a seizure alert dog but failed to make it through the whole training, for whatever reason. It's nice to know they can still be of use.

I do hope you enjoyed learning about a new kind of service dog. Stay tuned for more articles on the different types of service dogs.

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