Therapy Pets are also called Comfort Pets & are a guided interaction between a person & a trained animal & also involves the animal's handler. The purpose  is to help recover from or cope with a health concern or mental disorder.  Therapy Pets are also referred to as animal-assisted therapy (AAT). AAT is  sometimes confused with animal-assisted activities (AAA). AAT is a  formal, structured set of sessions that helps people reach specific  goals in their treatment. AAA involves more casual meetings in which an  animal and its handler interact with one or more people for comfort or  recreation. 

 Therapy Pets can build on the human-animal bonding. Interacting  with a friendly pet can help many physical & mental issues along with helping to reduce blood pressure & improve overall cardiovascular health. It can also release endorphins that produce a calming effect. This can help alleviate pain, reduce stress, & improve overall  psychological state. 

 Some of the biggest risks of pet therapy involve safety and sanitation.  People who are allergic to animal dander & sometimes their food like some grasses may have reactions during pet therapy. Animals in pet therapy programs are typically screened for  behavior & health. An animal’s owner & handler must also undergo training & an evaluation to help ensure a positive experience. 

Your doctor or therapist managing your treatment will help you with getting your   therapy pet. A trained handler, often the pet’s owner, will take the pet  to every meeting, work, etc under your doctor or therapist’s direction. This is  to  help you reach your goals. In most cases, the handlers work as  volunteers. Discussion of proper pet handling is needed to ensure the  safety of both the person receiving treatment & the pet.  

 Therapy pets can include dogs, cats,  rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, rats, reptiles, miniature pigs, llamas, alpacas,  horses, donkeys and mini-horses.  Important to make sure you have no allergies to your chosen pet before hand.

 The only true way to certify your chosen pet  is through a licensed mental  health professional.  The ESA letter should be written on the medical professional’s official  letterhead & include their licensing information, date the letter was  written, and information about the client’s needs for an emotional  support animal. You can either seek support from a local medical  professional or find one online.  Important: To have a legitimate Support Animal, you must have an ESA (emotional support animal) letter from a licensed mental health professional.