The idea behind animal assisted therapy is not something that we just started learning about. The truth is, animals and humans have always shared a special bond. It is something that dates back to more than 15,000 years ago when animals first started becoming domesticated so that they could help their owners hunt. During this time, they were objects of affection and in some cases, worship. Many animals were also given titles that included house guard and soldiers for their owners. Therefore, it should not surprise you to know that the history of therapy animals is also quite extensive.
The Beginning
The first animals that were considered a type of “therapist” came to be in the 1800s. It is rumored that Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, was the first to create a link between animals and people that went beyond the dog providing a service to their masters. She observed and studied how small pets would reduce anxiety in people who were living in psychiatric institutions. She felt that by having a small pet nearby, the children and adults who were suffering from mental issues would recover faster.
It was further proven successful in the 1930s when Sigmund Freud began taking his dog Jofi to his psychotherapy sessions with patients. Freud believed that dogs had a special sense that allowed them to ease a patient’s tension. Some of his patients preferred talking to the dog more than they would talk to him and therefore, they would open up more to when the animal was in the room.
Recent Times; Advances in Pet Therapy Continue
By the 1960s, another therapist noted that children who struggled to communicate with other people would often talk to a k-9. By 1989, an animal education group developed a certification program to allow animals to be used as therapists. It has become a respected type of therapy that is used in a variety of settings to help people feel better and to date, it does not seem to be coming to an end any time soon since more and more people rely on their pets to make other’s happy.