Statements for Students

Thank you for taking an interest in the work we do in relation to Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) here at HugglePetsCIC. 

AAT has been around since the late 18th century and was explored by Sigmund Freud in 1933 when he used his dog Jofi during psychotherapy sessions. Freud noticed that the presence of his dog was helpful because the patient would find that their speech would not shock or disturb the dog and this reassured them and so encouraged them to relax and confide.
Therapy animals that are used in sessions are usually dogs and horses but as well as our therapy dog Murphy, HugglePetsCIC use a range of animals including guinea pigs, rabbits, bearded dragons, geckos and tortoises.(Therapy Animals) The animals we use in sessions are temperament checked to ensure they are gentle natured which is essential in the therapeutic process.
Murphy the Therapy Dog 
Koukourikos et al (2019) concluded from their research that animal assisted therapy leads to several important benefits for patients suffering from mental illnesses. Implementing animal assisted therapy for individuals with diagnoses such as depression, autism, dementia, schizophrenia can achieve changes in their personality, behaviour and physical health (ibid).
Our therapists here at HugglePetsCIC have expressed that they have noticed the difference themselves between sessions with and without an animal present. They stated that they observe clients build a trusting relationship faster when there is an animal present in session and this leads to more progression during sessions as clients are more comfortable to share with the therapist. - Project Manager, Hannah Dixon 
Koukourikos, K., Georgopoulou, A., Kourkouta, L., & Tsaloglidou, A. (2019). Benefits of animal assisted therapy in mental health. International journal of caring sciences, 12(3), 1898-1905.  
Manage Cookie Preferences