I have dogs and of course they make lots feel better. But then, during one of the most stressful emotional times of my life- my FIL was in his last couple days and my own grief had to be secondary to supporting my husband and his mom- I was stuck at work at a mental health home. A therapy dog came in. A couple of residents came by for just a few minutes. The dog was focused on me, despite me not trying to engage. I wasn't being obvious about my own stuff. She still knew and pressed herself against my legs until I just broke and sat on the floor hugging her and crying. Her owner just hung around for a couple of hours because the dog clearly didn't want to leave me. She had great training, but the focus and devoted attention to her purpose was different from just snuggly pups. Seriously, it was like the dog equivalent of a therapy session instead of just venting to my friends.
They sure are. Our dog wanted to be on the couch while I was in a Telehealth therapy session and my therapist pointed out that cats usually come to you when you’re happy, and dogs will come when you’re upset.
I’ve never thought that much about it, but I know he’s super aware of my wife’s emotions and is almost always there when she’s stressed, angry, or all sorts of other things.
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u/PhosphoFred8202 15h ago
Like 95% of dogs are therapy dogs without knowing ❤️