Answer to Question 1Pets provide a great benefit to people with handicaps. Dogs can be vital in both a practical and psychological
way for people who are hearing impaired, vision impaired, or confined to wheelchairs or beds. Pets can help
elicit responses from severely withdrawn psychiatric patients.
Pets are good for latchkey children who would otherwise come home to empty houses after school and for
children who tend to be picked on by their classmates.
Reading aloud to pets has also been shown to assist special needs children in their efforts to learn to read.
Pets are important in helping people overcome illness. Pets can help us live longer, happier lives by
lowering our blood pressure.
Patients recovering from heart surgery have higher survival rates when they have a pet. Companion
animals can relieve the effects of loneliness and motivate patients to become more active mentally and
physically. Pets can help relieve the effects of PTSD.
Answer to Question 2Pets can help the elderly live longer, happier lives by helping to lower blood pressure and helping the owners
recover from heart attacks and other serious illnesses.
Pets can help relieve the stress of major illnesses, death in the family, or divorce.
Pets can decrease loneliness and give the elderly an opportunity to be needed.
Pets can stimulate the elderly to exercise.
The elderly can feel a sense of responsibility by caring for and providing attention to a pet.