[Alokin]

Almost every time I take a shower, sometime in the beginning of it the bathroom door swings open. When I peek beyond the shower curtain I see my beloved mini schnauzer. She will lay down on my clothes that I left on the floor. I have no idea why she does this. I suspect she likes the warm humidity on her curls, who knows.

Anyhow, every time she does this, it is just one of the things she does that makes me feel really happy and loved. I kind of get disappointed when she doesn't hang out in there while I am getting cleaned up. She can turn a grumpy me into a smiling me, all in the course of a shower.

Do any of you rely on a pet of some sort for support? If so can you please share your stories?

[BlueInanna]

I think she loves you and your scent is on your clothes, so cute.
I feel so loved by my big yellow lab doggie. Always wants to be near me. But he's getting older & has epilepsy.
Then my cats, they are just comforting to have around. We have 4 now. They're funny to watch their different personalities & they have moods too lol. One lays stretched out on the couch, another grooming herself on the clean laundry, her daughter cuddled up on a pile of dirty laundry on the floor. They are amusing and a comfort. I love animals.

[Alokin]

Originally Posted by BlueInanna

I think she loves you and your scent is on your clothes, so cute.
I feel so loved by my big yellow lab doggie. Always wants to be near me. But he's getting older & has epilepsy.
Then my cats, they are just comforting to have around. We have 4 now. They're funny to watch their different personalities & they have moods too lol. One lays stretched out on the couch, another grooming herself on the clean laundry, her daughter cuddled up on a pile of dirty laundry on the floor. They are amusing and a comfort. I love animals.

I love this! I am sorry about your lab though. It is tough when our furry friends age and things start to go wrong. We lost our chihuahua last year, it was like losing a family member (bc she is). My chihuahua mix, schnauzer and kitty are all approaching 10 year of age, here's to my girls living forever!

[LacunaCoiler]

My two beagles are amazing! When I'm breaking down and crying for no real reason there is no stopping the baby from getting to me. She will scratch at the door and get away from the girlfriend just to get to me and lick up my tears and curl up in my lap. When I'm in a good mood they just make me happier. It's amazing what they can do to my moods.

[gayleggg]

My little maltese and lhasa use to run greet me at the door for a good tummy rub or scratch on the back, making my day, however, they are now both 13 and wait for me to come to them. They still make me smile.

[bronzeowl]

Some people have therapy dogs. They really help them cope out in the world.

I don't have a therapy dog, but I do have a corgi mix who insists on being my shadow whenever I'm home. Since it's been unseasonably cold down here, she's been sleeping under my blanket and cuddling to my stomach to keep warm. I love when she does this. She has all these stuffed animals she could cuddle to, but she chooses my stomach. She is always the first to greet me when I come home. She's always following me to the shower. To my room. To the living room. Wherever. She is like my other foot.

She gives these little love bites. She hardly ever gives kisses. Instead, she nibbles gently on my nose or my hand. I got her when she was an older puppy. I don't think her previous owners taught her proper bite inhibition. As a result, she is a bit mouthy. She never bites too hard, though. She's very intense with her greetings, too. She's a very intense dog all around. I've managed to train her to be a little calmer, though. I worry when she gets too anxious/excited.

[Victoria'smom]

Do any of you rely on a pet of some sort for support? If so can you please share your stories?

My dog
- prevents aggregation by initiating play fighting
- prevents SI by following me into the bathroom
- lets me know when what I hear/see is a threat by barking
- reduces stress by demanding to be pet
- sleeps on me and demands to be pet if I'm awake to long
- lays at my feet when I eat
- demands to eat 2x a day (reminds me to eat)
- lays down in the bathroom while I'm showering (I have no doubt that if I past out she'd whine for or get my husband)

I've thought about getting her trained as a service dog but it's over $500. My T said she'll provide documents that she's a therapeutic dog if ever needed. I'd still like to train her as a companion dog. I will get a service dog once my dog passes. If I ever become single or things get "out of hand" we will get her trained to use a help button.

[Phoenix_1]

In 2005 I owned a health food store that went under. I declared bankruptcy, and 3 months later my SO left me and moved away. I was extremely depressed. I went to bed and stayed there for 3 weeks.
At the time I had 2 dogs, a Bichon Frise, Dudley, and a little terrier-poodle cross, Coco Puff. I had to get out of bed to feed and water the dogs and put them outside. Coco was glued to my side 24/7. She jumped up on the bed with me and wouldn't even leave my side to eat or drink. I had to get out of bed and go sit in the kitchen so that she could have her dinner and drink her water. I believe that dog saved me. If I hadn't had the dogs to take care of I don't know what would have happened to me.
After 3 weeks I got my sorry butt out of bed and went to the doctor's. The dr. gave me celexa. I gradually got better when the celexa kicked in.

[Andysmom]

Originally Posted by Are you suffering?

My two beagles are amazing! When I'm breaking down and crying for no real reason there is no stopping the baby from getting to me. She will scratch at the door and get away from the girlfriend just to get to me and lick up my tears and curl up in my lap. When I'm in a good mood they just make me happier. It's amazing what they can do to my moods.

I have two beagles too! They are so wonderful but very different from each other. Daisy is my chunky monkey who has to have her belly rubbed. Sophie is my bunny rabbit girl. She hops when she runs. They like to sneak upstairs and kidnap stuffed animals. We also have a cat who sleeps on me very night in bed. Animals are great therapy!

[naejannej]

my kitty cat always runs in and jumps on the counter when he hears me getting my meds ready. he purrs and rubs on me and keeps me company as i take them. makes it a little less terrible to take them everytime.

[BlueInanna]

These stories are so sweet and heart warming I started to cry!

[Alokin]

Originally Posted by BlueInanna

These stories are so sweet and heart warming I started to cry!

I love seeing the bonds between humans and their animal friends. If I had a heart it would be warmed. I guess that is why I started the thread.

[Trippin2.0]

My furry baby is so cute!
He lies on my stomach and gives me cat hugs (rubbing his he'd into mine) and kisses me on the lips when I'm sad. He sleeps on my bed every night and accompanies me at bath time. He likes to grab the bubbles from my bath and go all ninja kitty on them!

He was sick a few weeks ago and ended up in ICU for a week. He was not pleased with me when I fetched him and kept trying to escape his basket. So I played some metal on my phone and put the earphones in his basket and he calmed right down. I think he believed me then that he was finally going home.

He also likes to suckle my hand when he gets frightened by a storm, a dog, or a neighbourhood cat looking for a fight.

Oh, and he likes to play dress up with my daughter and have photo shoots.

He puts a smile on my face even through the tears. I love my furry baby to bits even though technically he's my brother's. He adopted me the moment he moved in a year ago at 8 weeks old.

[BadGirlBlues]

This is a bit darker story, but when i attempted suicide in 2009, my chihuahua put herself between me and emergency workers and eventually bit a policeman who was on the scene. He had finally grabbed her to move her out of the way, they had to get to me.

I came around more in the ambulance and the emt was kindly telling me about my awesome dog. She had been holding five grown men at bay! not bad for a 5 pound dog! Apparently the policeman cursed and was annoyed but not actually mad. He never reported it or got her in any trouble.

And i can just picture it, them standing there with all their uniforms and medical equipment and guns, not quite sure how to handle this rat-sized dog situation.

[nbritton]

My dog is good at forcing me into healthy routines...

I have to let her out every morning, since I don't have a fenced in yard I also need to stay up to watch her. I make my coffee, take my meds, and by the time she comes back I'm alert and ready to start the day.

She also needs to be run daily, so that means I need to go on a run daily. She is better than a personal trainer, and cheaper than that gym membership I never actually used.

[live2ski66]

Why is it that most of the time people talk about therapy dogs? I have a therapy cat with doctors papers. I hate flying, so he flies with me in the cabin. He is always by my side. If I've slept too long he will paw my nose and start licking it. He comes when I call him and he is protective of me (actually he is afraid of strangers)
I've other cats before, but this one fell into being a therapy cat category all on his own. Not sure what I would do if he were no longer with me.
If you feel you need the assistance, don't hesitate, talk to your therapist and start the process.

[Curiosity77]

My cat kept me alive when I was suicidal because I knew that if I died there would be no one to look after her and she would be heartbroken. Whenever I'm not doing well she stays close to me and wants to cuddle. She always greets me when I come home. I've had her for 15 years, and she is my best friend.

[robosuplex]

I was thinking about getting a therapy dog but I'm really allergic to most breeds (no cats I absolutely can't handle the allergies). I was a little concerned because I would have to be very picky about the breed... And even then I wasn't sure if I'd be allergic or not. Idk much about the process, I just started looking. But my tdoc is going to bring her therapy dog in so I can see what it's like.

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[Phoenix_1]

Originally Posted by robosuplex

I was thinking about getting a therapy dog but I'm really allergic to most breeds (no cats I absolutely can't handle the allergies). I was a little concerned because I would have to be very picky about the breed... And even then I wasn't sure if I'd be allergic or not. Idk much about the process, I just started looking. But my tdoc is going to bring her therapy dog in so I can see what it's like.

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Bichon Frise and poodles are good for allergies because they don't shed. A standard poodle would be good - they're really smart and not yappy like the little poodles. Bichons are smart and quiet too but are smaller. I have many allergies and asthma and I had a Bichon for 8 years. No allergy problems at all.

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