There is likely no other way to receive love that is unconditional. Perhaps through spiritual experiences, but putting that aside, the love that dogs express can be limitless and nurturing.
In fact, that nurturing and love is precisely what makes dogs perfect for therapeutic purposes. A therapy dog is specifically trained to provide comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, disaster areas or those with mental illnesses, such as depression.
For instance, Reno, an Australian Shepherd, recently visited Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, CA. Reno has a great disposition. He’s sweet, smart, and well trained to provide patients with joy and affection. He visits patient after patient leaving his love in every room and bringing them a sense of home, at a time when they are away from the comforts of their own residences.
The first known therapy dog was Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier used to comfort wounded soldiers in World War II. Smoky later went on to do rounds under the supervision of Dr. Charles Mayo of the Mayo Clinic for another 12 years.
Later, in 1976, Elaine Smith began a program for training dogs to visit certain institutions. Clinicians quickly noticed the positive effects of the dogs on their patients, such as relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, and raising their emotional mood. As a result, a demand for therapy dogs started to grow.
In 1982, Nancy Stanley founded Tender Loving Zoo, a non-profit organization that introduced animal therapy to children and to the elderly. After visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, where she noticed how well visitors responded to the animals, she researched the health effects of spending time with animals. Her research encouraged her to take her dog, Freeway, to the Revere Developmental Center for the severely disabled.
Perhaps Stanley’s research reflected what other studies have indicated, which is that spending time with animals and dogs specifically can lead to the release of certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and lowers cortisol, the stress-related hormone.
Today, dogs continue to leave their love and joy with the people they spend time with. In addition to the sites mentioned above, therapy dogs may visit schools to work with children who are learning to read, visit children’s hospitals, attend libraries to bring care to youth, visit nursing homes, and make home visits with those who are in hospice. They can sometimes also visit funeral homes to help families move through the process of saying their last good-bye to loved ones who have passed. Therapy dogs have also made visits to universities, such as the University of California, San Diego campus, where they have therapy dog de-stress events for students.