Pets and Disabled People

Wheelchair-bound or bedridden people often find that the physical effort that they have to make to look after their pet helps them cope with their condition. It is well known that simply stroking an animal is soothing and relaxing but it can also serve as a powerful distraction from suffering.

A case from Melksham Hospital in Wiltshire recorded how a 24-year-old man was left with only the use of his left arm and eye after an accident; he started to go into a decline brought on, understandably, by depression and as a last resort, nursing staff brought a dog to his bedside. It only took a couple of minutes for the Swedish Vallhund to establish a rapport with the patients and he reacted and laughed for the first time in months.

Pets seem to understand on a very basic level about human disability and can react accordingly. They seem anxious to help, they know how to be gentle and their affection for owners is very genuine.