Pet Therapy
Pet Therapy is a guided interaction between a person, a trained animal, and the animal’s handler, with the purpose of helping someone recover from or cope with a health problem or mental disorder. It is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment with the goal to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning.
Benefits of pet therapy may include reducing symptoms of depression, decreasing feelings of loneliness and isolation, reducing boredom, and reducing anxiety and stress levels. Interaction with animals has also been shown to reduce blood pressure and stimulate the release of endorphins.
Meet Rue, Casa Youth Shelter’s Therapy Dog
Rue is a Bischon-Poo, which means she is hypoallergenic and has a sensitive and intuitive nature. She has been our Clinical Director Hollis Hettig’s companion for three years and is a gentile and quiet partner. She may greet you when you come in and will generally sense if you would like her to hang around or if she should go and lie down. She also has an amazing sense of time and will sense when the session hour has come to an end. Rue and Hollis are a registered Pet Partners® Team.
If you have any questions or concerns about Rue, contact Hollis Hettig, Clinical Director, at (562) 742-3954 or via email at hollishettig@casayouthshelter.org.
