For people suffering from mental health issues emotional support animals are of great help. The coping mechanisms that they provide to cure the problem are unique. Every animal has its own way of providing therapy to people, while animals are best at pampering their owner, when animals are around, they don’t let the owner feel terrible and try to cheer them up in every possible way. They are remarkable for treating depression, anxiety and learning disabilities.
However, only a few people know that there are animals other apart from dogs and cats that provide emotional support. So, apart from dogs and cats you can expect therapy from various other animals as well. However, there are certain animals that you can’t pet but you can pay a visit to farms in order to spend time with them and you will feel better. Hence, here is a list of animals that are great at providing therapy and support, and studies have proven that they actually work best at curing people’s mental health issues.
- Sheep and goats– Sheep and goats have many surprising qualities which make them suitable for a therapist animal. They are surprisingly very sociable and intelligent animals, and can be easily trained for performing various tasks. One of the most astonishing facts about them is they can easily read human emotion from their faces, and can recognize each individual. This makes it easy for them to connect with a person, so if any person is in trouble, these animals can easily recognize that and they make efforts to make a person comfortable. Also, they are very calm and gentle, and always work as per your orders.
- Parrot– Available in all kinds of beautiful colors, parrots have some extraordinary qualities which make them suitable for a therapist animal. Firstly, their ability to mimic a person is amazing, through this they create joy that makes people smile. Moreover, there is evidence showing that they can actually connect with emotional states of human, as they have an ability to understand emotions. They are great pets for people having anxiety and learning disabilities, their behavior of repeating things helps a person to cope with learning disabilities.
- Miniature horses and ponies– While this category of therapy animal may not be affordable for all. But you must know that there are different species of miniature horses and ponies that are raised in special therapy farms for providing emotional support for learning disabilities, terminal illness and critical trauma. They are well-known for treating depression and anxiety in a person as well. They have calm demeanor and love for all the people which makes them suitable for therapy animals.
- Guinea pigs- These cute little animals are capable of treating high-level mental problems in humans. Many people don’t know but guinea pigs have enjoyed the status as pets, companions and cultural and religious symbols for thousands of years. There was a time when they were considered popular pets in Europe. It is because they have many special qualities such as their gentle haviour, soft touch, clumsy nature and highly-interactive behavior. These tiny animals can understand emotions and can help a person to cope with stress through their cheerful activities, like always jumping and playing. Hence, if you are planning to get a therapy animal then guinea pigs can be your best pick, you just need to check for how to register an emotional support animal before getting them home or else you can skip the registration if you aren’t seeking any kind of special treatment from the animal.
- Rabbits– Rabbits are endearing and playful. The domestic rabbits are excellent for emotional support. The domestic rabbits are friendly with humans and they don’t harm people physically, they are soothing and behave gently with people. Domestic rabbits tend to bond with people very quickly and help them to overcome stress and anxiety. Moreover, they have the gentlest touch which is enough to make a person feel relaxed. So, either you can get a domestic rabbit at home or you can pay visits to therapy farms where these rabbits are kept and raised.
- Chickens– It is surprising and many people won’t believe it but chickens are good for providing emotional support to humans. However, they don’t feel like the most obvious choice but as long as they are trained and socialized from an early age to accept human contact, then they can be great for providing therapy and support. They are quiet and affectionate towards people and aren’t chaotic. Moreover, as pets are very low-maintenance, you have to provide them with enough space to roam and that’s all.
- Miniature pigs– Studies suggest that pigs are one of the most understanding and intelligent animals. They crave human attention to make bonds, they are silent yet they speak so many emotions with their clumsy nature. However, pigs aren’t a popular choice as pets, but we can’t deny the fact that they are good as a therapy animal. So, if you don’t feel like petting a pig, then you can visit them on farms to support them and feel better.
Conclusion
The above list provides some of the animal names that are beneficial at providing emotional support to people. They are good to spend time with if a person is suffering from mental health issues, as they offer unconditional love and try to build connections with people, in order to understand and make them feel better. However, many animals aren’t possible to pet, but anyways you can visit them on farms and spend time with them. Moreover, you will find that many of these animals are specifically trained to curb restlessness, stress and anxiety. They have an ability to know the emotions of a person and accordingly they plan their actions. While dogs and cats are some of the common therapy animals in India, but animals like guinea pigs, rabbits and miniature pigs are favorite pets of European states and many people have them in their house, with a purpose of coping with stress and to feel relaxed.
