Simply lower than 5 years in the past, Rowan College launched its Shrieber Household Pet Remedy Program, an outlet that gives Animal-Assisted Remedy for college students or anybody affiliated with the college.
The concept of a faculty offering a pet remedy program isn’t a brand new one, with different native faculties like Drexel and Temple additionally having these applications, in addition to many different schools throughout the nation. When having a look at these applications, there’s one factor that many have in frequent: they solely have canine.
To be clear, The Whit employees loves canine and thinks remedy canine are nice, and with good cause. In accordance with Nationwide Geographic, there are greater than 50,000 remedy canine throughout the nation. Spending time with furry associates is a good way to relieve psychological struggles, however there are different pets that may convey the identical help.
The primary that involves thoughts are cats, and whereas they won’t be the commonest animal thought of on the subject of pet remedy, they’re rising in recognition. There are a whole bunch of cats registered that may do that job, and it is sensible why.
Cats are the second most typical family pet in America, simply behind canine, with over 30 million individuals having one among their very own. Figuring out that statistic, in the event that they add cats to the pet remedy program right here at Rowan it would imply that college students who needed to go away their beloved cats at dwelling for the primary time can discover a little bit of consolation in being with an animal they’re accustomed to.
In accordance with a examine finished by UCLA, round 70% of scholars going away to school really feel homesick inside that first 12 months. If having cats along with the canine will help these feeling like this, it’s a constructive cause to convey them on board.
Additionally, take into accounts that some individuals is likely to be afraid of canine, maybe as a result of an unlucky incident from after they have been youthful. That is nothing private to the Rowan remedy canine. Nonetheless, nobody on the lookout for this feature of remedy ought to need to steer clear of it as a result of they’re scared of 1 explicit animal, particularly when cats are an excellent various.
If this could possibly be finished and Rowan was capable of finding homeowners of skilled cats to be part of this system, it wouldn’t change something in addition to making cat visits an choice alongside canine visits. The way in which the appointment system is ready up on the web site, which is filling out a Google Type, it’s straightforward so as to add an additional query for the individual on the lookout for pet remedy to select their choice of animal.
Whereas The Whit Employees seems like including cats to this system is unquestionably a step in an excellent route, there’s yet one more issue that must be accounted for. There isn’t a doubt that canine and cats are cute, however for some individuals, they will set off allergy symptoms. In accordance with the Bronchial asthma and Allergy Basis of America, 10-20% of the world inhabitants is allergic to cats and canine.
Including a hypoallergenic choice, reminiscent of reptiles or ferrets, would give college students with allergy symptoms the flexibility to interact in pet remedy. There are even sorts of cats and canine which might be allergy-friendly.
General, the concept of pet remedy is a superb alternative that has been introduced onto school campuses, as a result of the extra choices to assist with a scholar’s psychological well being, the higher. Whereas canine are an excellent begin to this system, the considered increasing to cats is simply as thrilling too.
So regardless of if somebody is a canine or cat individual, everybody ought to have the choice to spend time with their favourite furry — or non-furry — little associates.
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