What do people mean when they say “man’s best friend”? Do they mean another person, like a classmate or perhaps a girlfriend? For people in the United States have dogs. Some people have guard dogs to protect their home. Blind people sometimes have dogs to help them with daily tasks. Most people simply have dogs as companions.
Today dogs help people in many new ways. One way is by helping sick people to recover from their illnesses. This is called animal-assisted therapy. When people have difficulty moving after a physical illness, a dog can help them with their exercise routine. The dog motivates them to work harder and makes exercising more fun. Dogs also help mentally ill patients. Phychologist Boris Levinson used his dog to help mentally ill children. In his article “The dog as Co-Therapist,” he says that many children who were usually very shy and quiet played with the dog happily (Levinson, 1969). The dog’s warm and playful personality made the children more relaxed and encouraged them to talk to Dr. Levinson about their feeling.