Maier 1

Avelina Maier

Ms. Trotter

Senior Lit p. 4

30 November 2017

Annotated Bibliography

Dihoff , Roberta, and Kimberly Ann Sheckler. “The Effect of Therapy Dogs on Children in a

Learning Environment.” Rowan University School Psychology Commons, 17 Apr.

2017, rdw.rowan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article. In this dissertation from Rowan

University, the effects of therapy dogs are discussed as a holistic hole. Roberta,

Dihoff, Ph.D analyzes many aspects and perspectives, and even includes how

university staff interaction with these therapy dogs in directly associated to the

quality of teaching and classroom climate. She states that “With a calmer

classroom environment, this can make it easier for teachers to teacher their

lessons and help students.” Dihoff integrates data and research from other

universities to support her thesis, such as Harvard Medical School studies and

Mayo Clinic. In this section of her lengthy dissertation, Dihoff describes the

importance of staff receiving this service because the mental wellness of faculty

affects the performance of students. Stress affects professors as well and it is

important that they too can alleviate it just as students should. She concludes this

subtopic with stating that therapy dogs are not a “silly” or “amateur” even the

most prestigious universities offer therapy dogs for students and faculty. This

source provides extremely reputable primary and secondary sources associated

with all aspects of the benefits of therapy dogs, but most importantly, how they
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are and should be used on staff as well. The information I have gathered from this

sources gave me insight to new ways to execute my studies and procedure, before

I had only thought about researching the benefits on students. Not only is the

content of this source dire to my project, but it provides and incorporates many

other research studies and resources that are available for in depth research.

Patricia Montemurri and L.L. Brasier, Detroit Free Press. “Therapy Dogs Help Calm People

under Stress.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 18 Feb. 2013,

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/16/therapy-dogs-calm-people-

under-stress/1925293/. The author explores the phenomenon of therapy dogs and

how their effect on people can be nothing but beneficial. Many officials are

starting to put dogs and therapy animals in courts, schools, prisons etc. due to the

extensive research showing its benefits. The author supported his thesis by

mentioning many cases of dogs visiting different types of facilities, as well as

including input from students and school and court employees. He also reputable

cases such as the American Journal of Cardiology and in these studies there are

more in depth data. Such as how the tactile interaction with these animals triggers

chemicals in the brain that induce a relaxed state. In this article, Montemurri and

Brasier describe the various amount of instances where therapy cats and dogs help

facilities run smoother and soothe the nerves of employees/students. For instance,

special needs students sometimes get upset and have screaming temper tantrums,

but when Henry (the therapy dog) lays down next to them, he brings instance

serenity. The article essentially proves that whether it’s special needs kids or

Veterans in a court hearing, these animals relax and calm them down. This source
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is valuable for my project because it provides real live cases in which these

therapy dogs relieved the stress from people in hectic situations. The information

I gathered in this article can enhance my project in the procedural sense. This

article provides an excellent and in depth overview of the benefits of therapy dogs

and sparked new ideas and locations on where to test this myself.

Swartzberg, John. “Can Pets Help You Live Longer And Happier?” The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Nov. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/berkeley-

wellness/can-pets-help-you-live-longer-and-happier_b_8521330.html. This article

examens how dogs and cats may help your heart, thus increasing your lifespan.

Based on past research John Swartzberg has done, he concludes that any dogs and

cats have the tendency to latch onto their owner, creating a bond, therefore

becoming a lifelong companion and extending their lives. To begin his article he

shared a personal experience. Swartzberg is a UC Berkeley alum, and everyday he

went to class or was on campus he took his golden retriever puppy to class,

“everyone in my class was much more happy when she was around than when I

came to class without her.” He noted how the climate of the classroom was more

exuberant when she was present. Another way he demonstrated his position on his

thesis, he incorporated statistics, “Dog owners were significantly more likely than

people who did not own dogs to still be alive one year after a heart attack...a 2008

study found a decreased risk for heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular

diseases among people who owned cats.” This article discusses the incredible

benefits of having a pet in your household. Pets create a more “full” house,

prevent loneliness, relieve stress, and even have medical benefits as well. All of
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these life extending aspects of having a pet, are included and analyzed. This

article was extremely informing and useful because it included statistics I had

never seen before. Learning more about what pets can really do to your physical

and mental health expands my outlook on what information I deem vital and gives

me variety.

“Therapy Dogs: Helping Improve Lives of People with Mental Illness.” Therapy

Dogs: Helping Improve Lives of People with Mental Illness, American Psychiatric

Association, 22 Dec. 2016, www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/apa-

blog/2016/12/therapy-dogs-helping-improve-lives-of-people-with-mental-illness.

In this article from the American Psychiatric Association, the question of whether

or not therapy dogs help with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression,

autism, alzheimer's etc. was answered and proved to be true from various sources

and personal accounts. The association included resources from the American

Veterinary Medical Foundation, American Humane Association, and several

cases from animal assisted psychotherapy. This article describes how special

trained dogs helped people improve their physical, social, emotional, or cognitive

function as well as provide a “non-judgmental” environment for patients. The

result of these therapies consisted of, “enhanced self-esteem and confidence,

increased prosocial behaviors, decreased behavioral problems…” and more. To

conclude and solidify their claim, they included an interesting and moving case

where a patient with Alzheimer’s, after spending time with these therapy dogs,

increased time recounting old memories. This is a very valuable source because it

broadens the scope for testing even more than before. The more people my
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research can reach out to the better, because it allows me to make my project

more comprehensive. The statistics and claims in this article spark more

versatility in the approach of my topic.

Weaver, Jane. “Puppy Love -- It's Better than You Think.” NBCNews.com,

NBCUniversal News Group, 8 Apr. 2004,

www.nbcnews.com/id/4625213/ns/health-pet_health/t/puppy-love----its-better-

you-think/#.WiIotLSpl-U. In this article, Jane Weaver elaborates and explores the

intricate details of whether interacting with pets releases key neurotransmitters

that trigger a drastic, but positive, mood change in several collegiate test subjects.

Weaver incorporates many studies and research from prestigious institutions such

as University of Missouri-Columbia and Purdue University. She also includes

direct quotes from professors, foreign researchers from Sweden, and even videos.

The variety of her sources create a very reliable and solid foundation. This article

contains a lot of different information, but the center of this article was to inform

the public about what happens in the chemical sense when someone interacts with

a animal or therapy dog. According to weaver, “...preliminary results from a study

show that a few minutes of stroking our pet dog prompts a release of a number of

"feel good" hormones in humans, including serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin.”

She summarized how, no matter what we are going through, whether we are

happy, sad, or have a mental disorder, that playing with dogs can increase these

mood stabilizing hormones. This source is the most valuable in my research

because it takes my approach of “problem solving” to a new level. This article

explains the chemical reason as to why we feel the way we do when we interact
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with dogs or any animal for that matter. It enables me to dive into new areas of

research and explain this phenomenon.