National Therapy Animal Day – April 30, 2027

History of National Therapy Animal Day

National Therapy Animal Day was created by Pet Partners, an American nonprofit organization specializing in therapy animals. It promotes the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities, and education. It has more than 10,000 registered teams making more than three million visits annually. It also registers handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams. Animal therapy or pet therapy refers to using animals to help people cope with and recover from certain physical and mental health conditions. Depending on the function of the therapy, people can choose from many animals including dogs, horses, and birds.

This form of therapy can enhance other treatments as animals can perform direct actions to help a person’s condition when they are in need and even alert others if someone is in danger.
While animal therapy can be traced back to Ancient Greece, the first formal research on animal therapy began just a few decades ago. Dr. Boris Levinson found that his dog had a positive effect on mentally impaired young patients. He discovered that these patients were more comfortable and likely to socialize with his dog than with other humans. Sigmund Freud’s findings on this subject were translated and published years after Levinson’s death, which is when this research started to be considered valid. It might be surprising to know that there was a lot of controversy on animal therapy just a few years ago when today it is widely accepted and so extensive.

The noticeable changes in human behavior when interacting with animals are the main reason why this form of therapy is so attractive and why it has become such an integral part of today’s therapeutic practices. All sorts of animals are used for therapy, including the usual pets, rabbits, pigs, and birds.