James 3:7 - All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind. ![]() Having pets can be fun, but some pets are also known to be therapeutic. They will love on us, instead of yell at us. They will follow us from room-to-room, instead of leaving us. And yes, in their own way, they can talk to us. Dogs love unconditionally. No matter what happens, they will come back. You’ll see them with their tails wagging, and they’ll come and sit at your feet, or jump up on your lap. Part of the reason that dogs appear to love unconditionally is because they have only a short-term memory. According to a new study in the article, “Many Animals - Including Your Dog - May Have Horrible Short-Term Memories,” on news.nationalgeographic.com dogs may forget an event within minutes after it happened. They can be trained, because if you teach them commands over and over, dogs will learn to follow those commands. Dogs also learn to recognize people who are in their master’s circle of friends. Now cats on the other hand, well, they’re of another kind. Cross hairs with a cat and they’ll walk around the house with their heads held up as if to say, “I’m not going to forget this,” and cats will be sure to let you know about it. So does this mean that I’m a “dog person” and not a “cat person”? No. I love all animals, (well, not snakes), and at one time or another I’ve had fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, rats, birds, cats and dogs. However, some animals can be more than just pets. Dogs, in particular, are trained and used not only for Seeing Eye dogs, but also therapy dogs. Dogs were first trained as therapy dogs in 1976, according to wikipedia.org in their article, “Therapy Dog,” a nurse noticed how well her patients did when she brought her Golden Retriever to work. From there, trained therapy dogs became in demand. My dog, though not officially registered, is to me by far a therapy dog. She came to me well-trained by her first master and quickly grew to know when I am upset or in pain. She’ll come to me and look up at me with her expressive eyes, or she’ll simply place her head upon my shoulder. And so, we’ve seen how animals can play an import role in the lives of their masters. Just as the Bible verse above talks about taming animals, dogs can be trained to be sensitive to those in pain. To learn more about therapy dogs choose the link below. Do you have a pet who is sensitive to how you're feeling? To leave a comment just click on the blue "comments" below. I look forward to hearing from you. |
AuthorKaren Dalske is a freelance writer, public speaker, is active in her church and writes her blogs out of her own experiences of pain, illness and loss. Archives
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