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In Therapy
Therapy animals such as a Therapy dog, are trained to assist with all kinds of people within a wide range of disabilities by providing support, comfort, and physical assistance. These animals are also used for Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs) such as; Animal-assisted therapy (AAT), Animal-assisted education (AAE), and Animal-assisted activities (AAA). Examples of animals used in AAIs include dogs, cats, horses, dolphins, and guinea pigs. Animal-assisted therapy focuses on improving physical and mental abilities of the human individual such as movements and mental capabilities. Service animal s are trained domestic animals, usually dogs, trained by a professional to assist disabled individuals to perform certain tasks. Unlike Therapy Animals, service animals are trained to assist specific individuals.

Animal-assisted therapy
It is seen that Animal-assisted therapy for individuals such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be useful since animals work non-verbally. Animal assisted therapies are seen to be able to reduce stress, reduce depression, and increase participation from patients. AAT show the best results in medical conditions that involve developmental disabilities, social anxiety, addiction, and depression. However, there are ethical concerns with the practice, as recent studies have show that AAT can be stressful to the animals.

Animal-assisted education
Educational uses of animals include the integrations of animals into the school system through class pets, animal dissection, and animal school visits. Along with the keeping of animals in locations such as zoos and aquariums. Animals in a Zoo help educate by presenting people with informational sessions that allow the learning of mating behaviors, eating habits, natural habitat etc. of many different animals from around the world.

Animal-assisted activities
Animal Assisted activities are recreational, therapeutic, educational, or motivational activities without a specific goal, but aimed to enhance quality of life. These activities can be done individually or in groups such as animal hospital visits, horseback riding, Swimming with dolphins, or goat yoga.

Animal-assisted therapy - Ethical Concerns


Despite the benefits noted for humans, recent research shows that Animal assisted Interventions have a negative effect on the mental and physical wellbeing of the animals. Due to the unclear structural guidelines on the use of animals in therapeutical settings and leaving possibilities of the animals being harmed and exposed to stressful situations. Research has shown that despite quality guidelines in place to ensure the health of the therapy animal, there are reports of negative interactions between human participant and therapy dogs. These reports include mistreating and teasing the dogs by patients and staff at locations in which therapy is hosted. In studies conducted, certain disabilities had to be excluded from the experiment due to increase in the stress of the therapy dog, and ultimately decline in overall wellbeing.

Equine assisted therapy showed a need for more studies of equine behavior to obtain an understanding of stress signals from horses. Through understanding the stress signals shown by horses, a safe and healthy experience during the therapy session can be held, by allowing handlers to minimize stress. For therapy animals limited time for rest, multiple sessions, and long duration of sessions were linked to higher stress. Assessing animals for signs of fatigue and stress can prevent negative experience for both humans and animals involved. Animals used should be limited to specific durations and number of sessions, as well as given access to proper environmental conditions, food, water, and rest.