Citation

Irvin S. Animal Front. 2014; 4(3): 66-71.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Society of Animal Science)

DOI

10.2527/af.2014-0024

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There are more than 22,000 individuals in the United States who are partnered with an assistance dog. Partnership with an assistance dog has been shown to have significant benefits for the human partner. These benefits include increased ability of people to perform activities of daily living; psychological/emotional health, and participation in social, work, and school activities outside the home. The relationship a person has with an assistance dog is mutually interdependent and can be characterized as representing an attachment bond. Both the dog and the human interchangeably provide a sense of security and safety for each other. Assistance dog providers need to help humans understand the reciprocal effect that their behaviors and quality of their relationship with their assistance dogs have on the ability of the dogs to maintain a healthy, helpful, and low-stress lifestyle.

Language: en