Pentagon Realizes Therapy Dogs Work

Therapy Dogs

At this point there is a growing body of research on canine therapy and its potential for helping veterans and active-duty soldiers recover from traumatic events both from true scientific tests and from stories people tell about how their Therapy Dogs have helped them overcome their psychological issues. Issues ranging from PTSD to sexual abuse in children have been significantly lessened allowing the recipient of the Therapy Dogs to once again function in a normal manner. Sleeping through the night, being able to attend school, testify in court cases, to Therapy Dogs in classrooms to help the entire class concentrate on their lessons. The instances of the use of Therapy Dogs and the situations they have helped people overcome are endless.

With the Pentagon’s support, nearly 100 troops have undergone canine therapy at the Defense Department’s National Intrepid Center of Excellence. Dogs rotate among groups of patients whose job it is to train the animals. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: by the end of each rotation, the program winds up providing treatment to 20 service members and produces a fully trained service dog.

According to the Pentagon, Therapy Dogs remain an experimental treatment for now, but the pace of research on canine and other animal-assisted treatment is beginning to pick up. Last year, an Israeli study found that teenage girls suffering from psychological trauma exhibited fewer symptoms of PTSD after receiving canine therapy. Other studies credit canine therapy with lowering blood pressure among cardiac patients, reducing the perception of pain among children, and increasing the function of elderly schizophrenics. You would think with all of the research and case studies about Therapy Dogs out there that the Pentagon would be fully behind creating programs to help their veterans reintegrate into society after being on the front lines in a war zone.

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Comments

  1. It’s such a logical conclusion for anyone who has ever had a dog, but it seems nothing is true until time & money is spent on numerous studies and trials. I’m glad they’re at least considering it though. These men and women deserve all of the comfort we can give them.

  2. I am glad they are finally figuring out what dog owners have known all along.

  3. I’m glad they figured it out and are using them.

  4. Anything to support our military. Seems good for everyone involved!

  5. I agree that dog owners have known the benefits of these animals for a long time! Glad the Pentagon is now getting on board.

  6. Mellissa Hanks says

    :O) I’m glad maybe now more people can get some relief from their struggles.

  7. This is good news. Thanks for sharing. Therapy dogs are wonderful.

  8. This is great news! Thank you for sharing!

  9. It irritates me so much. What really can crash a weak marriage is uncontrolled pms. Just try to see the funny side. Gettherapy. Nobody shold deal with irrational behavior alone.

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