While we’ve written posts concerning working and service dogs, war dogs, and emotional support animals, many dogs help people in a much simpler, yet effective way. Therapy dogs are those with loose training or no training at all that function as support for people in need. According to TherapyDogs.org, a dog used for therapeutic purposes can fall into one of three categories. Therapeutic Visitation Dogs are the most prevalent type, consisting of pets that travel to health facilities, schools, and correctional institutions in an effort to assist people in their therapy. Animal Assisted Therapy Dogs help people involved in rehabilitation to readjust to daily life, including the ins and outs of taking care of their own pets once rehabilitation has ended. Facility Therapy Dogs work in nursing homes alongside their handlers and bring elderly patients relief.
More Pets In Public Places
Certain airports, like the Colombia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), have recently installed roaming handlers paired with Facility Therapy Dogs. This new airport perk will present passengers with the opportunity to pet well tempered dogs while passing time during lengthy layovers. Draped in bright vests with slogans like “Pet Me!,” these dogs' abilities to alleviate stress goes beyond their own appearance. More Americans than not are likely to have at least one dog or cat in their household (46% of homes have 1 or more dogs). For more than half the population, being able to visit with a therapy dog in the airport would ease the burden of missing a pet at home.
As the ownership of pets and pet related revenue continue to grow, so does the need for pet friendly personnel in more and more service industries. If dogs can boost client perception of a travel or hospitality business by keeping patrons positive and calm, then market forces will continue to shape a more animal friendly public landscape.
