Patches: a therapy dog
owned by Laura Ibsen of Gilbert, Arizona, was a 2008 AKC Honorable Mention for the AKC’s Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE)
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How many faithful dogs served their masters well in Arizona can never be known. What is known, is that throughout the years many people in Arizona have relied on dogs to assist in everyday life and to provide companionship.
Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in Arizona serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in significantly lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.
Dogs not only enrich the lives of their owners; they also contribute to the well-being of many non-dog owning residents of Arizona as therapy and service dogs.
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National Canine Research Council