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Animal assisted therapy and service animals are different techniques for treating depression.
Most animals can be therapy animals – pigs, horses, even cats – and therapy generally takes place in a therapist's office or other work venue.
Service animals generally live with the client, and for the most part only dogs are legally classified as service animals.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, “A service animal is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”
Therapy animals are different. “Unlike service animals, therapy animals are not supported under the ADA, meaning that they may not be allowed at certain public venues or in living situations in which the landlord has a no-animal policy. Therapy dogs are trained but not as rigorously or for the same tasks as service dogs. Their main responsibilities are to provide psychological and physiological therapy to people other than their handlers in times of stress. They have good temperaments and calm, easy-going personalities. Whereas service dogs are not supposed to interact with or be touched by anyone but their handler, patients are encouraged to interact with therapy dogs while they are on-duty.”
Both can be trained to treat many issues, including PTSD and depression.
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