{"id":2669,"date":"2018-05-14T03:43:41","date_gmt":"2018-05-14T11:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=2669"},"modified":"2018-05-14T03:43:41","modified_gmt":"2018-05-14T11:43:41","slug":"mindful-monday-is-the-therapy-and-service-pet-concept-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=2669","title":{"rendered":"Mindful Monday \u2013 Is the Therapy and Service Pet Concept New?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/PatriciaWithKittens2-260x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/PatriciaWithKittens2-260x300.jpg 260w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/PatriciaWithKittens2.jpg 277w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/>We\u2019ve become accustomed to seeing eye dogs, but did you know there are also hearing alert dogs, seizure alert dogs, autism service dog, and medical alert dogs that will alert for migraines, diabetes and even heart issues?<\/p>\n<p>For years, we\u2019ve had pet dogs and cats and other animals for our enjoyment, pleasure, and even peace of mind. We feel good when we\u2019re romping with our dog, laughing at our cat\u2019s antics, relaxing while petting a purring cat. So in a way we\u2019ve all enjoyed therapy aspects of our pets. I mean, who can\u2019t use a little laughter therapy\u2014relaxation therapy. And who hasn\u2019t felt the sweet comfort of a beloved pet during a time of sadness? Animals seem to know when we need a little bit of quiet attention\u2014the gentle touch of a paw, a chin resting on your foot or lap. If you\u2019ve had pets, you\u2019ve experienced this.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, however, all sorts of animals are being used as therapy pets\u2014to help their<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1453\" src=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SmokeyWPix-169x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SmokeyWPix-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SmokeyWPix-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SmokeyWPix-281x500.jpg 281w, https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SmokeyWPix.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/> owners get through the day\u2014to help them maintain a healthy emotional balance. There are even agencies that will register your pet as a therapy animal and some of them are bogus. I think I would be suspect of any online program that would issue you a letter of registration simply after you\u2019ve filled out a brief questionnaire regarding the nature of your emotional need and the name of your pet.<\/p>\n<p>I notice there are many such opportunities online. If you\u2019re considering purchasing a support animal or validating your pet as a support animal, you might be interested in some of the regulations. Here\u2019s a site that responds to many questions about service dogs, for example.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychdogpartners.org\/resources\/frequently-asked-questions\/laws\">https:\/\/www.psychdogpartners.org\/resources\/frequently-asked-questions\/laws<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are agencies and organizations that oversee the extensive training of dogs to be used as service animals. At the end of rigorous training, the dog either passes or doesn\u2019t. Not all dogs make it to graduation. Some simply become wonderful pets. However, there\u2019s no training required for a pet to become emotional support animal. But you do need a doctor\u2019s okay in order to get one registered. Stay tuned this week, I\u2019m going to bring more information about therapy pets and service animals.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; We\u2019ve become accustomed to seeing eye dogs, but did you know there are also hearing alert dogs, seizure alert dogs, autism service dog, and medical alert dogs that will alert for migraines, diabetes and even heart issues? For years, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=2669\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,30],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2670,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions\/2670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}