Did you know that interacting with a friendly pet can help with many physical and mental issues? Pet therapy can help reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular health. It can release endorphins that produce a calming effect, which can help alleviate pain, reduce stress, and improve your overall psychological state. Pet therapy can also make you feel happier, decrease loneliness, and reduce anxiety. Watching Reina and Crunchy interacting with people that we support provides the proof!
For several years, Carol and Joan have shared their pet therapy dogs with Black Hills Works. Reina and Crunchy visit the Learning Center and Plant Street a couple of times a week, and you can see the smiles that accompany their visits. Kenny was smiling and laughing while Reina did tricks for him. “She is nice and cute,” Kenny shared. Kathy couldn’t get enough of Crunchy, and her laugh was contagious!
“I enjoy seeing the responses of the people supported,” shared Carol. “You can see the comfort while they play, and the improvement of eye-hand coordination for some of the folks!” When asked what she enjoys about bringing Crunchy to visit, Joan shared, “It touches my heart to see their hearts connect with Crunchy. I get to have relationships with the people supported through Crunchy, so we have lots of friends to visit!”
Thank you, Carol and Joan, for sharing Reina and Crunchy with us and brightening our days!
