Pet Therapy
What is a Pet Therapy Dog?
A Pet Therapy dog is trained to provide friendship, comfort and companionship for people through visits in homes, schools, hospitals and other settings. Pet therapy allows people to receive all the love, joy and affection an animal brings without dealing with the everyday care needs of a pet.
Benefits of Pet Therapy
For years, animal-assisted therapy has been used to enhance people’s lives and positively impact their social, emotional and cognitive health. Not only do pets create a fun and relaxing environment, but studies have shown the pet owners enjoy many therapeutic effects, including stress relief, and pet owners may even see improvements in their physical health.
For our Clients who can no longer care for a pet, pet therapy may provide the following benefits:
Emotional Benefits
- Reduced loneliness, anxiety and depression
- Increased awareness and attention spans
- Social stimulation and encouragement to communicate
- Increased quantity and quality of interactions among dementia patients
- Enhanced social interactions with more smiles and laughter in the presence of an animal
Physical Benefits
- Reduced blood pressure
- Motivation for physical therapy following a surgery or accident
- Mental stimulation for Alzheimer’s patients
- Diminished physical pain
- Lower incidence of heart attacks
- Declines in prescription drug use and total cost of care was found in nursing homes that incorporated pet therapy
About Lacey the Lab
Lacey, our pet therapy dog, is a Yellow Labrador who was born on January 13, 2011 and adopted by Bob Roth, our managing partner, at 10 weeks old. Lacey is loyal, affectionate and social, and loves meeting new people. She enjoys ear scratches, playing fetch and especially making people smile and laugh. With each home visit, Lacey delivers feelings of joy and happiness to those she meets through her unconditional and undeniable love of humans. Lacey’s gentle demeanor and extraordinary manners make her the perfect dog for providing love and affection for people at home.
How to Get a Visit from Lacey
Lacey’s visits are FREE for Cypress HomeCare Solutions clients and can be arranged through any Cypress caregiver or by contacting Lacey’s Pet Appearance Coordinator at (602) 264‑8009.