June 3, 2024
Last updated on October 8th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
Dogs offer significant benefits in rehab, providing companionship, love, and support that ease social interactions. Dogs also help manage stress and anxiety. They promote emotional healing and rekindle a sense of joy and connection.
Interacting with dogs boosts oxytocin, beta-endorphins, and dopamine levels, enhancing overall well-being. Dogs are integral to animal-assisted therapy, aiding in coping with challenging circumstances, making rehab more effective and holistic.
Can Dogs Be Beneficial in Rehab?
Yes, dogs can be significantly beneficial in rehab. They provide companionship, love, and support, which can help people in recovery feel more comfortable in social situations and deal with stress and anxiety. Dogs can also help individuals learn to live and love again.
- Unconditional Love: Dogs provide unconditional love and acceptance, which can be helpful when dealing with stress and anxiety.
- Companionship: Dogs can help people feel less lonely, a common feeling for people battling addiction.
- Stress Relief: Dogs can help people develop new coping strategies for everyday stressors by encouraging them to get outside and move.
How Can Interacting with Dogs Improve Well-being?
Interacting with dogs can increase blood levels of oxytocin, beta-endorphins, and dopamine, which are neurochemicals that contribute to a sense of well-being. Dogs can also be used in animal-assisted therapy, a rehabilitation and treatment procedure that uses trained animals, mostly certified therapy dogs to help people cope with difficult situations.
- Neurotransmitters: Interacting with dogs can increase blood levels of oxytocin, beta-endorphins, and dopamine, which are neurochemicals that contribute to a sense of well-being.
- Animal-assisted Therapy: Dogs can be used in animal-assisted therapy, a rehabilitation and treatment procedure that uses trained animals to help people cope with difficult situations.
What Are the Benefits of Having Your Dog in Rehab?
Having your dog in rehab can provide emotional support and companionship, reduce stress, anxiety and loneliness during recovery, encourage physical activity, facilitate social connections, and give a sense of responsibility and purpose.
- Emotional Support: Provides emotional support and companionship, which can reduce stress, anxiety and loneliness during recovery.
- Physical Activity: Encourages physical activity through walks and playtime, which is beneficial for recovery.
- Social Connections: Facilitates social connections by making it easier to interact with others.
How Can I Find a Pet-Friendly Rehab?
While most rehabs don’t allow pets, some rehabs are pet-friendly and accommodate dogs. However, they may have restrictions on breed, size, or require private rooms at added cost. It’s important to call ahead to inquire about their specific pet policies and ensure it’s a good fit.
- Pet-friendly Rehabs: While most rehabs don’t allow pets, some are pet-friendly and accommodate dogs.
- Restrictions: They may have restrictions on breed, size, or require private rooms at added cost.
- Responsibility: You are solely responsible for your dog’s care – feeding, exercising, cleaning up after them.
What Are the Alternatives if Pets Are Not Allowed in Rehab?
If pets are not allowed in rehab, you can consider boarding your dog at a kennel or with a pet sitter during inpatient rehab, ask friends/family to temporarily care for your dog, or consider an outpatient program that allows you to live at home with your pet.
- Boarding: You can board your dog at a kennel or with a pet sitter during inpatient rehab.
- Friends/Family: You can ask friends/family to temporarily care for your dog.
- Outpatient Program: Consider an outpatient program that allows you to live at home with your pet.
Britney Elyse, LMFT, is an experienced mental health professional and clinical leader with more than 15 years of experience in behavioral health, addiction treatment, and recovery services. She currently serves as Director of Compliance & Clinical Services at Carrara Treatment, Wellness & Spa, where she oversees the clinical team, treatment programming, staff development, documentation standards, and coordination of care with physicians and psychiatric providers.
Throughout her career, Britney has held leadership and clinical roles at respected treatment programs including Cliffside Malibu, Cast Recovery, The Hills Treatment Center, and Tarzana Treatment Centers. Her experience encompasses individual and family therapy, clinical assessment, treatment planning, case management, utilization review, and the development of trauma-focused programming.
Britney’s therapeutic background includes trauma-informed care, Somatic Experiencing, DBT, relapse prevention, family therapy, and stages-of-change interventions. She is passionate about creating thoughtful, individualized treatment plans while supporting clients and their families throughout the recovery process.
Britney earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch University and has pursued advanced training in Somatic Experiencing Therapy. Her approach combines compassionate client care with strong clinical leadership and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of treatment.
Credentials: MA, LMFT. California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist 90937 (Board of Behavioral Sciences). MA, Antioch University. Member, CAMFT.
