How Animal Care Helps Population Rehabilitation

Small dog in a lab coat with a stethoscope. Photo from Canva. 

The Healing Powers of Animals 

Anyone who’s ever owned a pet knows the magical healing powers that their beloved holds. We’re not crazy either – there’s science to back it up.

 Not everyone is a fan of furry friends, but those open to interacting with animals commonly experience better physical health. Animal interaction has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, lower blood pressure, and regulate the nervous system, leading to better heart health. Evidence has even shown that heart attack survivors have a reduced risk of death when they own a dog. 

Along with physically helping to regulate the nervous system, animals ease anxieties and improve depression symptoms. Petting an animal releases oxytocin and other happy hormones in the human brain, which can help to improve mental health. Also, the physical presence of a pet eases symptoms of loneliness, a factor that can lead to severe mental health issues. 

Perhaps the most healing power of animals is the unconditional love they provide. Animals don’t judge or reject us for what we’ve done but accept us as we are, making them a valuable source of support for people who are mentally and physically on the mend. Dogs, cats, and other animals are often kinder than humans and can be a key step in providing any sort of rehabilitation. 

Let’s look at some of the ways that animals have been trained to help improve the quality of human life. 

Animal Assisted Therapies

#1 Therapeutic Visitation: Hospital and Care Centers 

A practice popularized in the 1970s, dog visitations to hospital patients have shown tremendous positive effects on their health outcomes. Some dogs might be explicitly trained to provide medical services for patients, while others might just be there to offer a shoulder to “pet” on. Nonprofits have been built to provide the lifesaving services that animals bring – comfort and potentially better health to hospital patients. 

Similarly, dogs and smaller animals have been a great additional presence in nursing homes and senior care organizations. Dementia, a common condition among older adults, can leave a person feeling agitated, isolated, and unsure of themselves and those around them. The presence of animals can be comforting and bring some familiar routine of responsibility to a person’s life. Giving older patients, especially those with dementia, a pet to look after or hang out with can instill confidence in them, all while receiving love and emotional support from the animal. The positive benefits of caring for an animal have even been shown to prevent cognitive decline in patients. 

#2 Rehab and Occupational Therapy 

For individuals recovering from physical injuries, animals can provide manageable exercises and activities that slowly get patients back on their feet. A simple walk with a dog or the act of caring for a pet can help patients increase their mobility and strength, as opposed to more clinical methods that could frustrate or discourage patients. Grooming, feeding, and playing with animals have been shown to help improve balance, coordination, and fine motor skills. 

Animals also aid occupational therapy by promoting adaptive skills and independence. For example, patients learning to manage daily activities after a stroke or injury may find it easier to engage in these tasks when accompanied by a therapy animal, having that additional layer of support. It leads them to become more independent and confident in their skills and helps them to have a buddy in times of frustration and isolation. 

#3 Wounded Warriors 

Many veterans experience physical and psychological challenges as a result of their service, including physical injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. Their experiences can often feel isolating and unique to themselves, making it harder to feel the support around them. Animal-assisted therapy offers a holistic approach to healing veterans, using animals to provide rehabilitation in a less intimidating environment. 

Specifically, dogs have been shown to help with hyperarousal commonly suffered by veterans who have PTSD. Studies suggest that having a physical animal present helps ground individuals with PTSD, bringing their baseline back to normal as the dog is aware of their reaction. Issues like this can make it hard for veterans to feel socially integrated once they return from service, and animals can help bridge that gap. 

Philadelphia and Rehabilitation Services  

As of 2023, 21% of Philadelphian adults suffer from severe mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders. Drug abuse is rampant in the city, as is homelessness. These issues are all interconnected, built from numerous systemic problems – too many to point out. 

What we do know is the reality we’re living in now: our city is suffering from a mental health crisis and a homeless animal population. There are many organizations actively trying to tackle many of these issues at once. Take New Leash on Life as an example, where they champion prison reform and rehabilitation by providing incarcerated individuals with the responsibility of caring for rescued dogs from ACCT Philly. They are actively promoting preventative criminal behavior through therapy, helping incarcerated individuals regulate emotions better, and working on building life skills. They do this by allowing individuals in the program to have the added responsibility for and honor of working with and training dogs for eventual adoption. 

This symbiotic relationship, born out of a revolutionary program, is just one creative solution combining social justice reform for human and animal welfare in Philadelphia. Although mental health and animal welfare aren’t immediately the same issues, there is a potential link between the two – and a possibility for solutions to create a brighter Philly for its citizens and animals. Philadelphia is seeing increased rates of animal homelessness and poor mental health among the population. Through implementing innovative programs, there is hope that we might address some of these concerns by focusing on the rehabilitative nature of the human-animal bond.