When I first began thinking about my inquiry project, the therapy animals that came to mind for me were horses and dogs. As I am sifting through online resources I am finding out that there are so many other animals that can have positive effects on well-being.

A Video of the 25 Strangest Pets to Be Used as Service Animals

Highlights of Different Animals for Therapy

  1. Dolphins: Sometimes used in emotion therapy because they are known for their friendly nature and intelligence.
  2. Donkeys: They are extremely calm and friendly allowing agitated individuals to calm down.
  3. Ducks: Can help with PTSD.
  4. Farret: They are small, social, and very hypoallergenic for people who may have allergies to dogs or horses this could be a great alternative.
  5. Pot-belly Pig: Have been known to help with anxiety, PTSD, and also be able to detect low blood sugar or an oncoming seizure.
  6. Lama’s: They are friendly and easily to train so they are great around kids!
  7. Parrot’s: Are very in tune with their emotional environment and can even detect an emotional outburst before it happens and encourage calming strategies for that individual.
  8. Rat’s: Can be used for children with developmental disabilities. Because of their small size they are less thretaning to small children. They are also able to identify damaging muscle spasms in those who cannot detect them. I wonder if they would be able to detect certain diseases like MS? Autoimmune disorder that deteriorates the myelin sheath.
  9. Iguana’s: They are very calming and can help with depression.
  10. Monkeys: Would be amazing at helping not only mental well-being but assist individuals with physical disabilities. They can be trained to perform physical tasks such as lifting items, turning a page, and grasping items.
  11. Kangaroo’s: Teach compassion and are able to calm humans.
  12. Bearded Dragon’s: Help increase self-esteem/confidence. They also support students who have experienced bullying.
  13. Rabbit’s: They calmly accept new situations. They are small, easy to train and are often viewed as an easy animal to be certified as a therapy animal.
  14. Goats: known to increase the well-being of humans. I know from my own experiences, every time I have had the opportunity to be around a goat I feel such a sense of happiness and calmness around them.
  15. Wolf: Detect high blood sugar and notify their human of when to take insulin. I think this is pretty incredible and wonder how this is possible! I can see a wolf being much more difficult to get certified due to the understanding that they are wild hunting animals.
  16. Hedgehogs: Great for positive re-enforcement and learning!
  17. Boa Constrictor: They can sense rising blood pressure before a seizure and notify their individual of the upcoming episode. I personally have a phobia of snakes so this is one I would not be able to bring into my classroom!
  18. Hamspster’s: Have helped improve individuals cognitive, emotional, and social well-being.
  19. Cat’s: Have an innate sense about seizures. They have also been known to have the ability to use a phone to call 9-1-1!
  20. Chinchilla’s: They are particularly popular with kids for emotional well-being. Maybe a good idea to look into further for a class pet?!

A Closer Look into How Dolphins are Making a Positive Impact on Well-being:

Photo by Flickr on Pexels

I was intrigued to see how dolphins would work as therapy animals. I found out that currently, dolphin-assisted therapy is extremely helpful for Ukraine war veterans. They have been helping reduce depression, anxiety, PTSD, and so much more. This video shows this in action:

Nemo Dolphin Therapy is a foundation with a great website and goes over so many benefits of dolphins to human’s well-being and indications for this therapy.

“Analysis of the patient’s encephalogram before and after dolphin therapy reveals the increasing number of endorphins, produced by the dolphin’s ultrasound effect. It creates relaxation effect, boosts abstract thinking and ability to learn, and produces calming and pain soothing effect. In addition, ultrasound generates the inflow of sodium and calcium, which also manifests itself in pain relieving effect” (Nemo Dolphin Therapy).

Indications for Dolphin-assisted therapy: Delayed mental and speech development, autism, asperger syndrome, down syndrome, chronic fatigue, PTSD, ADHD, muscle asthenia, brain dysfunctional disorders, cerebral palsy, musculoskeletal and neurological diseases.

Positive effects of Dolphin-assisted therapy:

  • improved coordination of movements
  • increased speed of gaining new motoric skills
  • stabilized mood
  • improved self-estimation
  • developing communicative sphere
  • accelerated development of thinking
  • stimulated physical and mental development

Although there does not appear to be any opportunities for dolphin-assisted therapy in Canada, if I ever have the opportunity to visit different countries that utilize this like Ukraine, I would love to visit a centre and learn more. I had the opportunity to go on a kayak tour in Noosa, Australia in 2014. When my friend and I had dolphins coming up and swimming alongside us it was the most thrilling, exciting experience that put such a big smile on our faces. They truly are incredibly compassionate and intelligent animals!

Are there any unique therapy animals introduced today that you would love to learn more about or bring into a classroom? Or do you know of any other animals that you think could positively impact well-bing? I would love to hear from you!

Chelsea

References

About dolphinotherapy. Dolphin therapy is a method of treatment in the network of HEMO centers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://therapynemo.com/en/dolphin-therapy/ 

YouTube. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpatXVnxJlI&t=3s. 

YouTube. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDEy3YGVozU.