Perhaps you’ve heard of dogs and horses being used as therapy animals, but how about an alpaca named Napoleon and a llama named Rojo? For Lori Gregory, owner of of Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas in Vancouver, Washington her animals are lighting up the faces of patients.  She never had the idea of using her animals for therapy until someone suggested it to her at a local fair.  Gregory says “It started giving me chills and that’s when it kind of became an addiction…when you realize that they have this amazing ability to create a natural response therapeutic-wise to get people to do things they normally wouldn’t do.”

Therapy animals, or animal-assisted therapy, is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, or cognitive function, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Therapy can occur in a group setting or individually, and can benefit patient populations from the young to elderly, to those in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living homes and rehabilitation facilities.  Kelly Schmidt, a social worker at Providence Children’s Center in Oregon said, “I never realized the power animals have to bring healing and joy to people like this.  I truly believe they are given a purpose more than just entertainment.”