ANIMAL THERAPY By: Nikki Smith, Megan Bedwell, China Simmons, Kevyn johnson, robyn mcclanahan

BENEFITS Physical Benefits: Lowers blood pressure, releases endorphins (oxytocin), diminishes physical pain. Mental Benefits: Lessens depression, decreases feelings of isolation or alienation, reduces feelings of loneliness, lowers anxiety, encourages communication, provides comfort. In Physical Therapy: Increases joint movement, improves recovery time, provides motivation, increases motor skills.

dog training

ACCESS You can volunteer at the Iron County Animal Shelter 3109 N Iron Springs Road, Cedar City Utah Please call before arriving to make sure there is volunteer to let you in You will need to fill out a form and pass a background check Hang out with a friend who has a pet

SUCCESS Many colleges, including Harvard and Yale, offer dogs that you can “check out” the same as library books because they’ve found that college students that pet animals when anxious or upset have done better on exams and lowered stress levels. Research done by Idaho State studied 55 college students and found a 60% decrease in stress levels of the college students that pet, fed, hugged, and played with an animal.

REMINDER During finals week there will be therapy dogs in the library!