How dogs can benefit people with anxiety
Aside from being adorable and fluffy, dogs can help people with anxiety on a physical level. Studies have shown pet owners have lower resting heart rates and blood pressure levels than people without pets. Pet people also have less intense reactions to aggravating events and faster recovery time after experiencing psychological or physical stress.
Harvard Health also mentions dogs can help a person stay active (hello, early morning dog walks) and feel less isolated (hello, constant roommate). A Human Animal Bond Research Institute survey discovered 80 percent of pet owners feel less lonely with a pet. Dogs can be excellent ice breakers when meeting someone new; pups don’t mind being center stage.
Even spending time with a dog is good for stress reduction. One study found university students who participated in an animal visitation program exhibited lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels after just ten minutes petting a dog! Staring at pictures of animals did not achieve the same results.
Dogs are so good at supporting humans when it comes to mental health, we’ve given them official titles! There are emotional support dogs, therapy dogs and service dogs, just to name a few. These are all different in the eyes of the law – and a person can definitely adopt a dog specifically to help ease anxiety without having to register the animal anywhere as such. These designations come in handy primarily when it’s time to travel or visit a public space.
Service dogs are top tier. They’re highly trained animals recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act that not only provide emotional support but also perform a function that their human owner cannot. Service dogs are trained—and legally allowed—to go everywhere with their owner.
Therapy dogs also go through rigorous training and testing to get certified, but aren’t usually employed full-time by someone in need. Instead, they provide social-emotional benefits to a variety of people like students, hospital patients and nursing home residents. Therapy dogs do not have the legal access or privileges that a service dog has.
Emotional support animals are companion animals medical professionals (such as psychiatrists) prescribe to patients with physical, psychiatric or intellectual disabilities, like anxiety or PTSD. ESAs receive no special training or regulated certification, nor are they required to by law. However, ESAs are protected under the Federal Fair Housing Act, which says landlords cannot discriminate against tenants who have an emotional support animal. (Also, they can be any species! Dogs, cats, even horses have served as emotional support animals.) A note from a licensed medical professional is usually required to bring an ESA on an airplane or into a public business.
Finally, there are companion pets. Companion dogs are similar to emotional support and therapy dogs but are different in the eyes of the law. Aka, these pets do not have legal access to the same areas that emotional support, therapy and service animals do. People suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD and similar ailments that prevent them from enjoying life are ideal candidates for companion dogs.
How does having a dog benefit someone with anxiety?
“Pets can have a positive effect on emotional wellbeing and this can make a huge difference for a person experiencing anxiety. Dogs have a calming and cathartic effect on humans; they offer unconditional love, companionship, distraction and a sense of responsibility; all reasons why dogs are a perfect alternative treatment for anxiety,” Nicky tells Country Living.
“Possibly the most important factor when owning a dog is having to go outside every day in order to walk them. This can help people who experience anxiety because exercise and keeping active are really important ways to help combat anxious thoughts, whilst also encouraging the individual to do things they would normally avoid, as they are now responsible for their dog.”
✅ Positive effect on emotional wellbeing
✅ Offer unconditional love, companionship, distraction
✅ Encourage walking, activity and being outside
✅ Provide comfort for individuals with agoraphobia
“Specifically, individuals with agoraphobia can significantly benefit from having a dog; providing comfort and reassurance in places that may cause the individual to feel panicky and anxious,” continues Nicky.
“Having the company of a dog may encourage and make it easier for someone affected by agoraphobia to go to places that they would normally avoid and, in doing so, could stretch the distance and boundaries that such individuals might be limited by as a result of having this condition.” This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
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