Animals offering their service to us

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Well, I don't know about you, but service dogs (or service animals in general) just gets my heart. They are so faithful, devotional and gentle and their intelligence is breathtaking.

Imagine... service dogs can be used to help police find criminals, sniff out drugs and explosives. Some dogs assist people who are blind, deaf or have trouble getting around. And you're proably familiar with dogs telling when their owner is about to have a seizure (humans with epilepsy). They signal their owner to lie down and be calm.

Then there's “therapy dogs.” These dogs are family pets with special training. They are trained to go into public buildings and comfort people in need (such as libraries) whilst other therapy dogs go into places such as hospitals and nursing homes. When the dogs visit the patients, the patients are cheered up. They enjoy cuddling the dogs, and look forward to their visits. The dogs help to brighten their day. Therapy dogs can improve people’s health as well. Studies show that when people pet animals, their blood pressure and heart rates go down. They are calmer, and their mood improves.

I think we could all call our pets both "service and therapy" dogs and cats, or whatever other pet you might have. Don't they just fill our lives with such joy and delight. Just the fact that they put up with our shortcomings  - and love us just the same - must be good for the health alone. Hopefully we're considered good "service and therapy" humans to them!!

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