Puppy Love

Why Have a Dog in Therapy?

Research shows that petting a dog reduces blood pressure and heart rate in both the dog and the human. For some people, animals are easier to trust than humans. Other benefits to having a dog present:

• reduces stress and anxiety
• reminds you to be present in this moment of time
• increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter that plays an important role in feelings of happiness
• reminds you that there is joy and goodness in the world
• helps regulate your emotions
• increases beta-endorphin and oxytocin, which help you manage pain
• reminds you that you are lovable

Téo (TAY-oh), a chocolate Lab, offers a warm welcome and unconditional love and acceptance to clients … and then snoozes upside-down in his crate. (Giving of yourself so fully can be exhausting.) Sometimes he checks in with clients during a session and offers a hug (leaning against your leg), a kiss (a small lick), or comic relief (by flopping onto his back for a belly rub). Téo’s hobbies include chewing on raw bones, eating carrots and apples, going for walks, and playing tag with his dog friends. He loves playing in water, whether it is in liquid or crystalized form. His current bad habit is checking trash cans for something tasty. We are working to break that one.

For he was a mixture of gravity and waggery.

—Mary Oliver