Why therapy dogs?

According to the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) performed by the CDC in 2021, at least 1 in 3 high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic and nearly half of students felt “persistently sad or hopeless.” However, study participants who felt they had connections at school had “a lower prevalence of poor mental health.” Therapy dogs can provide an uncomplicated positive connection to school for many students who are experiencing poor mental health.

A meta study from the National Library of Medicine showed that human-animal interactions have well-documented benefits for:

• social attention and behavior

• interpersonal interactions

• mood

• stress-related parameters (i.e. cortisol, heart rate, blood pressure)

• self-reported fear and anxiety

There is also evidence of:

• improvement of immune system functioning and pain management

• increased trust and reduced aggression toward others

Our therapy dog teams have served hundreds of individual students experiencing trauma, as well as entire campuses of students during evacuation events. On a day-to-day basis our therapy dogs provide a warm welcome to students and staff, reducing stress and improving the climate of the campuses where they serve. Universities, schools, airports, hospitals, and nursing homes are increasingly using therapy dogs to address the effects of trauma, boost mood, and decrease anxiety and stress.