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What Pets Can Do: Health and Healing

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Sep 15, 2017

I was visiting a community hospital recently, waiting in line for a coffee. Across the lobby was a large, beautiful dog. As visitors and patients stopped to pet the dog and talk with the owner, you could literally see how their faces lit up with smiles and their bodies relaxed.

In the week leading up to exams at my daughter's school, they bring in therapy dogs for the students to interact with. It helps reduce anxiety at a very stressful time for students. For many people, animals provide countless health benefits.

Cats, dogs, birds, fish, hamsters: How have animals comforted you, helped with recovery or promoted good health for you?

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karen00 | @karen00 | Jan 15, 2019

Hey Jennifer, I love it! I call my lab my therapy dog. Her love is unconditional as is mine for her. What we do without our pets?

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1 reply
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Jan 15, 2019
In reply to @karen00 "Hey Jennifer, I love it! I call my lab my therapy dog. Her love is unconditional..." + (show)
@karen00

Hey Jennifer, I love it! I call my lab my therapy dog. Her love is unconditional as is mine for her. What we do without our pets?

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@karen00 I used to have a lab, and now I have 3 rescued shelter cats. They helped me rest and heal after spine surgery. Animals are very theraputic. I used to take my lab to a nursing home to visit dementia patients.

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1 reply
karen00 | @karen00 | Jan 16, 2019
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@karen00 I used to have a lab, and now I have 3 rescued shelter cats. They..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@karen00 I used to have a lab, and now I have 3 rescued shelter cats. They helped me rest and heal after spine surgery. Animals are very theraputic. I used to take my lab to a nursing home to visit dementia patients.

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Jennifer, what color lab did you have? I have a black one. I got her at the SPCA. I was sitting in a room and they let her in. She did not look around at her surroundings or the others in the room. She shot straight towards me. I said “that’s my girl”! It’s been a match made in heaven! She is good therapy for me and a great pet. I know you feel that way about your cats!

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1 reply
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Jan 16, 2019
In reply to @karen00 "Jennifer, what color lab did you have? I have a black one. I got her at..." + (show)
@karen00

Jennifer, what color lab did you have? I have a black one. I got her at the SPCA. I was sitting in a room and they let her in. She did not look around at her surroundings or the others in the room. She shot straight towards me. I said “that’s my girl”! It’s been a match made in heaven! She is good therapy for me and a great pet. I know you feel that way about your cats!

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@karen00 My lab was chocolate and I got him for $10 at the pound when I lived in CA. He had been tied by a rope that he had chewed off and escaped and he was in a restaurant begging when animal control picked him up. I got him right after he was adoptable and we had lots of good years together. He got bit by a rattlesnake in CA which was expensive and his face swelled up. I was at an art show when it happened when my sister was caring for him. I and my sister both moved back to the Midwest and he was on a dogsled team with my her dogs. That was a lot of fun dashing through the woods. One time we came flying past a heard of deer that were laying down resting, and they suddenly rose and were bounding off right next to us which got the dogs excited and they went faster trying to catch the deer. He was great with cats (I had 2 cats back then) and he lived to be 18. I used to take him to the nursing home to visit from father in law. The other patients loved him.

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1 reply
profnorma | @profnorma | Jan 16, 2019

Your wonderful chocolate lab reminded me of my beagle-lab who was best friends with the husky I rescued from the streets of LA. He was orphaned when my hiking buddy died from a heart attack so he became part of my brood. My guy was also great with kitties and loved to chase deer (mule deer in CA and white-tail deer in IL). He lived to 17 and was a great friend through thick and thin.

REPLY
karen00 | @karen00 | Jan 17, 2019
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@karen00 My lab was chocolate and I got him for $10 at the pound when I..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@karen00 My lab was chocolate and I got him for $10 at the pound when I lived in CA. He had been tied by a rope that he had chewed off and escaped and he was in a restaurant begging when animal control picked him up. I got him right after he was adoptable and we had lots of good years together. He got bit by a rattlesnake in CA which was expensive and his face swelled up. I was at an art show when it happened when my sister was caring for him. I and my sister both moved back to the Midwest and he was on a dogsled team with my her dogs. That was a lot of fun dashing through the woods. One time we came flying past a heard of deer that were laying down resting, and they suddenly rose and were bounding off right next to us which got the dogs excited and they went faster trying to catch the deer. He was great with cats (I had 2 cats back then) and he lived to be 18. I used to take him to the nursing home to visit from father in law. The other patients loved him.

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Wow, you had a lot of wonderful adventures with your lab! I think mine (Kelly) loves people more than other dogs. She is an awesome companion. What would we do without our pets?......Karen

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lioness | @lioness | May 20, 2019
In reply to @hopeful33250 "JK, @contentandwell If I were you, I'd keep hubby and forget the dog! Teresa" + (show)
@hopeful33250

JK, @contentandwell

If I were you, I'd keep hubby and forget the dog!

Teresa

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@hopeful33250 I love to hear about dogs ,service dogs I went to s nursing home with out Dachshund the patients faces would light up they enjoyed Yoda ,son named him, we had a huskie Sid ,sons dog .I just came home from getting groceries Sid led me to basement my husband was on the floor he was a diabetic thanks to Sid staying with him who insisted I go to basement Got sugar into him and he was fine then When I had my surgery I couldn't go upstairs so slept on recliner Yoda was right with me when my husband died Yoda mopped around the house and didn't eat much so dogs are people in fur Dog spelled backwards is ??

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1 reply
Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | May 20, 2019
In reply to @lioness "@hopeful33250 I love to hear about dogs ,service dogs I went to s nursing home with..." + (show)
@lioness

@hopeful33250 I love to hear about dogs ,service dogs I went to s nursing home with out Dachshund the patients faces would light up they enjoyed Yoda ,son named him, we had a huskie Sid ,sons dog .I just came home from getting groceries Sid led me to basement my husband was on the floor he was a diabetic thanks to Sid staying with him who insisted I go to basement Got sugar into him and he was fine then When I had my surgery I couldn't go upstairs so slept on recliner Yoda was right with me when my husband died Yoda mopped around the house and didn't eat much so dogs are people in fur Dog spelled backwards is ??

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@lioness Such great dog stories! Thanks for sharing those experiences with Connect.

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1 reply
lioness | @lioness | May 20, 2019
In reply to @hopeful33250 "@lioness Such great dog stories! Thanks for sharing those experiences with Connect." + (show)
@hopeful33250

@lioness Such great dog stories! Thanks for sharing those experiences with Connect.

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@hopeful33250 Thanks dog,s are smart they don't get the respect they deserve accept from there master

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Parus | @parus | Jul 8, 2019

Hello connect friends. I no longer have house pets of any type. I do enjoy the wild birds outside my window. I did a drawing recently of some of my wild feathered friends. Can you find some you may know???
Hey, it did help to stop by for a while. Thanks to all!!!
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