>>Hi everyone. I'm fairly new, but I found this site because I'm doing my English paper on the emotional benefits of therapy dogs in hospitals, and I wanted to ask a few questions.
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>>Quick and easy. If I could have your name too, that would be helpful.
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>>Question 1: Would you say the majority of the patients you and your therapy canine see benefit from your visits?
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>>Question 2: Do the patients look forward to your visits?
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>>Question 3: Why do you think patients become happier when they see you and your therapy dog?
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>>I have some of my own experiences with these (I've followed handlers in hospitals and retirement homes, my grandmother after her stroke was visited by a therapy dog, and I'm quite sick my self, and my dogs help immensly) but my paper is supposed to be a research paper and I can only use my own experiences for a few things. 
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>>I'd like to thank anyone who chooses to answer any of these questions!
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I just wrote a reply, and needed to recheck your questions before posting, and lost that whole long reply! Yeeks! So I may leave your message above to make sure that doesn't happen again! Moderators, please forgive me!
Okay, I did nearly 20 years of volunteer therapy dog handling, with 5 different registered therapy dogs. I've written a book that you can probably check out through the library for free, or buy it inexpensively through Amazon. Be sure to get the paperback, because it is up to date.
I have had to retire from therapy dog handling, because mobility disabilities caught up with me. So now I have an assistance/service dog to aid me. He is a black Standard Poodle named Worthy.
Because Worthy is black, dog-loving people who don't know the whys and hows of service dogs don't just reach out and pet him when we are in public. They ask me first. I thank them for asking, and briefly explain that you never want to distract a working service dog. Because my disabilities allow for this (often a person's disabilities do not), I then tell Worthy to "Go Say 'Hi'" and point to that person. He has never met anyone he didn't like! After a few minutes, I call his name and direct his attention back to me.
Worthy is not a registered therapy dog. But these moments are definitely therapeutic for the people who pet him. I see it, and they say it.
Yes, the people I visited in different facilities over nearly 20 years with my registered therapy dogs did benefit from the visits. The ways in which they benefit are interesting, and would really require more than I can post here! But my book covers many benefits people get from visiting visiting with therapy dogs.
Yes, IF YOU SCHEDULE VISITS, and IF YOU ARE FAITHFUL TO THE SCHEDULE, people do look forward to the visits. It takes time for this to happen. It also helps greatly to have multiple therapy dogs, so that when one is not up to visiting for any reason, you have a chance to do the visit with the other. But not too many dogs in your house. That causes all sorts of problems with doing right by each therapy dog. And there are some illnesses that will be contagious and all will be out of commission at once.
The reasons people become happier when they interact with the therapy dog are in my book in the Benefits chapter--and elsewhere, too! For example, some people probably benefit from saying "Get that dog away from me!" The book explains why!
If you would like to talk with me on the phone, email me with your phone number and good time(s) to call (I'm in Central Daylight Savings time), and I will be glad to phone you if you live in the U.S. I can answer questions that way! My email is kdiamondd@aol.com
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47
I'm fairly new, but I found this site because I'm doing my English paper on the emotional benefits of therapy dogs in hospitals, and I wanted to ask a few questions.