Human-animal bond
The human-animal bond defines people’s desire to interact with and relate to animals. For a large number of people, through interacting with a friendly animal, they can develop a bond with them. This bond can induce a calming state in the person. The bond helps the person in several ways, like: reduction in boredom, increasing movement and activity, providing a companionship and decreasing loneliness, increasing social interactions thus resulting in general well-being. Animal therapy can and does have several goals, which will determine how it works. The type of therapy and target for this therapy usually changes depending on the condition and the type of support a person needs. Some examples are: providing comfort by reducing levels of pain, improving movement and motor skills, developing social and/or behavioral skills, increasing motivation toward activities like exercise or interacting with others. The role of the therapist here is relatively passive in comparison to other form of therapies and restricts themselves to observation and facilitation.