Animals are many things to humans — some feed us, some work for us, some entertain us, and yes, some even help heal us.

Animal-assisted therapy has been around since ancient Greece, but its resurgence in recent years has proven to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, and spark recognition in dementia patients. Hospitals, rehab centers, nursing homes, schools and libraries all benefit from the healing power of pets.

Joe Sells, president of the Fox Valley Therapy Dog Club, now in its 21st year, notes that the club made nearly 2,000 visits last year to schools, hospitals and nursing homes. “Whether it’s special needs students, patients, or people in a nursing home, you just see them light up,” says Sells. “In a memory care unit our visits give them a bright moment in their day.” During one visit, a nonverbal special needs student said, “Hi, Joey!” to one of the therapy dogs. “The teachers were amazed,” said Sells.

One thing Fox Valley’s members didn’t expect is how good they themselves feel after a visit. “The reward is just amazing,” says Sells. “It works both ways.”

And it’s not just patients who benefit. “Our teams spend time with staff,” says Sells. “It’s been a very stressful time since COVID. The healthcare industry went through a tremendous amount of turnover. Everybody’s short-staffed. When you make the staff smile, it makes the patients smile.”

Fox Valley makes regular visits to Marmian Academy, a boys’ Catholic high school in Aurora. “I think the biggest thing I see is that they provide unconditional love, comfort and support,” says Marmian counselor Sherry Tietz. “If you’re having a rough day, they can really brighten your day. It absolutely helps the students’ distress for a test or if they have a big speech coming up. Even holiday time can sometimes be stressful. Therapy dogs have also been brought in to help if there’s a loss in the school community.”

Therapy animals come in many different forms, such as dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs, pigs, birds, llamas, alpacas, mini horses, dogs, cats and mini donkeys. Dogs, however, make up more than 90 percent of those.

Jodie Diegel founded SOUL Harbor Ranch and Animal Therapy Program, the only Chicagoland multi-species animal therapy program, in 2018. SOUL Harbor has 100 volunteers, 58 registered Pet Partner handlers and 132 registered teams. Diegel, a nurse, added mini horses to her ranch in 2013.

The tiny equines are a hit at Marklund, a nonprofit organization with locations in Geneva, Elgin and Bloomingdale that serves residential and day clients and students.

“From what we can see they really do enjoy it,” says Marklund Chief Communications Officer Dawn Lassiter-Brueski. “The trainer is so important in the whole process because they know how to work with their animal to get close enough to a wheelchair to put their head on the person’s lap so they can have hand-over-hand assistance to pet the dog’s head or the horse’s head.”

“Besides the obvious smiles, I’ve also seen it turn somebody who’s acting hyper, all of a sudden holding a dog and being so gentle and calm, and like their whole personality is shifting to being nurturing and caring,” says Nikki Osterloh, Marklund manager of volunteer engagement. “It’s a very calming experience. It’s really nice to watch.”

“We love it when the mini horses come,” says Lassiter-Brueske. “How cool is it for someone in a wheelchair to be nose-to-nose with a horse.”