1 min.
Helping Hoover (and (Paws!)
WHILE DOGS ARE THE MOST common therapy animal, llamas, donkeys, birds, horses, rabbits, and cats have all found their place in the pet therapy world. Let’s not forget pigs! In San Francisco, CA, Buttercup, a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig works with therapist Lois Brady. This affable pig delights kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. His charm encourages trust and greatly helps their therapy.
We may think of therapy animals as new-fangled, but the practice has been around since the Ancient Greeks. The Greek physician Hippocrates recommended horses in his writings. He felt that horseback riding lifted the spirits of people who were ill. Horse therapy, now called equine therapy, is still popular today. It is broad-reaching and used at rehab centers as both physical and emotional support for children and adults.…
