Media, Mental Health and Man's Best Friend

Using two media newspaper publications as a means of archival data, this paper proposed that the shift in perception of animals in mental health setting has changed over time. There is now data examining the role of animals in a human's well-being and the increased importance of an animal's positive presence across various populations. This paper examined the past twenty years of newspaper articles relevant to the human animal bond. Discussion considered the implications of one's quality of life and how much and how often this is being reported in the media. This study examined the evermore-present roles of an animal's importance in society across all measure of companionship, mental health, and healing. In order to increase awareness and decrease resistance to the vital role of animals, in particular dogs, in mental health settings, this research project examined the shift in perception through media sources.