The Importance of Animal Therapy

This is a report on the advantages and disadvantages of animal therapy. What is animal therapy? Animal therapy is when animals are used as a means to comfort a human being. Animals are also used as a means of guidance and direction for the visual impaired. For example, animals such as dogs are used as guides for those who have lost their vision or are legally blind. Dogs are also used for seeking lost children, rescue operations, and for protection. Cats on the other hand, are used for petting as well as therapy. An example of this is when I used to live in Toledo, Ohio; I used to have four cats. There names were two-bit, snowball, kit-cat, and soda-pop. There reason why I had four cats is simple. This is because of the fact that these cats consoled me whenever I felt down and I need companionship. You know one thing; a cat is a very phenomenal animal to have as an animal. This is because these animals are charismatic, active, agile, and fascinating animals. The cats I have had from the years 1991 through 1993. This was off and on because the landlord was upset, so I had to get rid of them.

Let’s look at the reptiles as a creature. Reptiles are very fascinating creatures. My favorite reptile that I like the most is the snake. I like snakes because they are fascinating creatures. They know how to swim fast inside of water and they slither extremely fast. I have handled numerous of snakes within the past few years. I really like the rat snake. This is a constrictor because it constricts its prey by squeezing or compressing it. I like reptiles because if handled well, they make very good pets. They are excellent at getting rid of rodents and other pests that might linger around your property. The very last time I have handled a reptile of this magnitude was September of 2004. This nice looking snake was inside of my front yard of my property. I really wanted to keep it as a pet, however, my significant other at the time refused to allow me to keep it. Therefore, I had to call animal control and have it transported to a safe place away from my property. The rat snake was all black with a yellow stripe with white spots. It was almost 6 feet in length.

Let’s look at rodents for example; rodents such as muskrats are very fascinating animals. I have had one for 3 to 6 years. My muskrat’s name was Michael. I named it after the late Michael Jackson the R&B Singer. The muskrat was black, white, and brown in color. He was very small at that time. I have had Michael as a pet from 1973 to 1979. I had received this as a pet from my science teacher in elementary school in Dayton, Ohio. The reason why is because I had won a science fair competition. I received it as a pet immediately after the school year. Allow me to remind everyone that in the inner-city, receiving pets such as a rat is a rare gift. However, I had taken care of it because I knew how to take good care of animals. Michael was always vaccinated each year and he had grown so much that I had to release it in the wild. Sometimes in the wild, there are numerous of predators such as snakes, large birds, bobcats, beavers, and other large rodents.

Let’s look at amphibians for a moment. I have held frogs and toads as a means of understanding them as a species. Frogs and toads are very interesting creatures. This is because they provide comfort and their skin is quite interesting to the touch. Amphibians are nice to have as pets for anyone who knows how to take care of them. Frogs and toads eat worms, insects, and in some cases things that pertains to the environment. There were times that I have always wanted to have amphibians as pets but at that time, I was preoccupied with dealing with dogs and cats as pets.

Next, the purpose of writing this is to provide alternatives other than sitting down on a couch and engaging in psychoanalysis. The reason why I recommend animal therapy is because it provides comfort and healing for anyone that is going through stress. In most cases, there are times that people are not as easy to communicate with. I do understand that we as human beings have our needs, wants, desires, and wishes. There are times that people become private or secluded by choice. There are also times when we become so engrossed with our own personal activities that social interaction becomes impossible.

To be honest, there are over 40% of the world’s populations that are extroverted. These statistics come from various prominent academic scholars that teach at your most popular universities worldwide. However, there are also statistics that come from the United States Government that proves that people who are depressed or suffering from clinical issues seek medical assistance, but there are times when this is not effective. Let’s look at recent statistics that have been compiled from the Department of Health and Human Services that proves that 10% of the USA Population suffers from some form of clinical illness. Therefore, animal therapy is only an alternative treatment. This is not recommended but it’s a whole lot better than attending regular therapy sessions.

Finally, I would like to say to anyone that this is only an alternative. This is only a choice; other than using alcohol or engaging in activities that are damaging to the lifestyle or lifespan of human beings. This is not very easy for human beings to engage in activities with animals on a regular basis. It works for me as an intelligent African American Male because I have been around animals all of my entire life. There were times that I used to be apprehensive when it comes to dealing with animals. However, over a period of time, I had to learn to make progress in dealing with my fear of animals. I also love dealing with insects as creatures because I learn from them how they survive as creatures among a human population.

The way insects cope and adapt to environmental changes that they are better than mankind itself. Animal therapy for me as a human being enables me to progress in my life as a mature adult through these troubled times. My name is Anthony Joseph Hopkins and I am from Dayton, Ohio, and I am sharing my personal story of animal therapy and its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of dealing with animals as therapy are to provide healing and comfort to those who are going through common problems.
In my case, I have made a personal decision to deal with animals because it helps me to understand animals as creatures and respect them. The disadvantages of animal therapy are that others do not want you to have them inside of your property. There are people who are afraid of them while you are handling them in your care. It is not that they are afraid of them, it’s that there are times that people lose control of the animals in their care. Animal therapy to me is magnificent because it is my passion. If I had a job working with exotic animals such as snakes and frogs from other countries, I would never be afraid to handle them.

I have had dogs and cats for so many years that I will never forget the wonderful times that I have had with them in my personal care. I would recommend this as a therapeutic approach because it enables a person to have control of one of God’s creatures. I would like to thank everyone for reading my personal story of animal therapy as a means of dealing with any specific human problem.

Sincerely,
Anthony Joseph Hopkins