{"id":16859,"date":"2017-12-21T09:28:33","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T14:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/?p=16859"},"modified":"2017-12-21T09:28:33","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T14:28:33","slug":"dogs-support-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/dogs-support-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase kids on skateboards. They are too big for the subway and one of them\u2014Violet\u2014vomits anytime she\u2019s in a car.<\/p>\n<p>I love my dogs, but sometimes it seems they are just as dysfunctional as I am.<\/p>\n<p>Despite their quirks, I find that my dogs\u2014with their snuggles, heavy sighs, and slow and steady breathing\u2014have helped me manage my raging anxiety disorder.<\/p>\n<p>I was first diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder when I landed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/theestablishment.co\/why-im-okay-with-asylum-themed-halloween-attractions-88645ac3b1ec\">psychiatric hospital<\/a>. I was exhausted, incoherent, and incapable of making choices. In the hospital, I was so paralyzed I needed to be ferried around and told what to do. I was also, for the first time, given a cocktail of drugs. Finally, I was handed over to the care of an outpatient therapist and psychiatrist, and started doing the hard work of healing and learning resiliency.<\/p>\n<p>While I was building up my new support system, my partner and I decided to adopt a dog. We did some research, and a few months later we arranged to meet Parker at a PetCo in New Jersey. He was part of a group of dogs recently rescued from an over-crowded shelter in North Carolina. I immediately knew he was my dog.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/07\/easy-ways-meditate\/\">5 Easy Ways To Add Meditation To Your Day<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My partner wasn\u2019t as taken with the twitchy, little black pit bull who refused to make eye contact. Parker\u2019s foster mom, Lynn, told us he was a shy, weird pup with some anxiety but that he was incredibly lovable and sweet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn anxious dog,\u201d I smiled as I sat on the floor. Parker shimmied up into my lap like it was safe land in the midst of a churning sea. We were a perfect fit.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16865\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/dogs-support-anxiety\/img_4780\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?fit=4511%2C3018&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4511,3018\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS REBEL T3i&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1418490218&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_4780\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?fit=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?fit=740%2C495&amp;ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"wp-image-16865 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=469%2C314&#038;ssl=1\" alt width=\"469\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=1024%2C685&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=768%2C514&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=740%2C495&amp;ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?w=1480&amp;ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?w=2220&amp;ssl=1 2220w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16865\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/dogs-support-anxiety\/img_4780\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?fit=4511%2C3018&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4511,3018\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS REBEL T3i&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1418490218&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_4780\" data-image-description data-image-caption data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?fit=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?fit=740%2C495&amp;ssl=1\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" class=\"wp-image-16865 alignleft lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20469%20314%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt width=\"469\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20469%20314%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 469w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=1024%2C685&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=768%2C514&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?resize=740%2C495&amp;ssl=1 740w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?w=1480&amp;ssl=1 1480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780.jpg?w=2220&amp;ssl=1 2220w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_4780-1024x685.jpg\">When we took Parker home the following week, it became evident right away that he\u2019d been through some sort of trauma. Regular walks were scary for him; he would pancake and refuse to move. Sometimes he\u2019d run and hide under parked cars. Often, he wouldn\u2019t leave the safety of a doorway or stoop. He was hyper-vigilant, always scanning, always alert. Loud noises made him jump and flatten.<\/p>\n<p>I was despondent. How did I think I could take care of a living thing when it was hard enough to take care of myself?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We hired a trainer who showed us how using food, rewards, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.humanesociety.org\/animals\/dogs\/tips\/dog_training_positive_reinforcement.html?credit=web_globalfooter_id%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E'%3E%3Cahref='tel:279226543'%3E279226543%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/a%3E_web_globalfooter_web_globalfooter_web_globalfooter_web_shadow_web_globalfooter\">positive reinforcement<\/a> helped reassure an anxious dog. After working on basic commands over a few weeks, Parker seemed less terrified of our daily walks and began to enjoy them more.<\/p>\n<p>I felt empowered that I was able to help Parker, even in small ways. He rewarded me by trotting around the apartment with a stuffed porcupine and throwing it up in the air, by snuggling in my dirty clothes, and by wedging his way in-between my partner and me in bed.<\/p>\n<p>After a year, my partner and I decided to adopt a second dog. Violet had been abandoned soon after giving birth and was still lactating when we picked her up. Though she had a sassy and assertive personality (unlike Parker), she also showed signs of trauma. It took a while for her to warm up to us, but once she did, her sweetness and a penchant for snuggling emerged.<\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [rr-products] does not match the conditions -->\n<p>At this point in my own therapy, I was working on mindfulness techniques like breathing and centering my body. If I\u2019m honest, I was failing miserably. Mindfulness unleashed all the obsessive thoughts in my brain, and they floated freely and torturously. Sitting still and focusing on my breath seemed like a Herculean task, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindful.org\/why-its-difficult-to-meditate-why-anxiety\/\">I began to hate meditating<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But holding Violet and focusing on <em>her <\/em>breath? I didn\u2019t hate that.<\/p>\n<p>Mornings are often difficult. I don\u2019t typically wake peacefully. The minute I open my eyes, I am activated. My heart pounds even though there is no threat. So I often roll over and hug Violet, whose greatest skill is breathing heavily and evenly. We lie chest to chest\u2014sometimes she\u2019ll swat me in the face if she\u2019s not interested\u2014and eventually I regulate my breathing by syncing up with hers. This helps calms me and prepares me to face the challenges of the day.<\/p>\n<p>On top of the breath work, taking the dogs for long walks also clears my mind. Playing with them encourages me to see joy in dark times. And when I can\u2019t get out of bed, they happily stay in it with me.<\/p>\n<p>Animals are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/danielle-hark\/pet-ownership-health_b_3187960.html\">healing creatures<\/a>, and any animal can be therapeutic. I once knew a woman who got great comfort from her python. I have friends with hedgehogs, cats, rats, rabbits, and horses. My friends don\u2019t all struggle with psychological issues, but they all report the <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/4728315\/science-says-pet-good-for-mental-health\/\">psychological benefits<\/a> of sharing their lives with animals.<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2016\/12\/09\/504971146\/pets-help-people-manage-life-with-serious-mental-illness\">recent study<\/a> written about in NPR, participants explained how \u201cpets provided more than just emotional support and companionship\u2026The animals also could distract them from their illness, even from severe psychosis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I love being around dogs so much that I eventually started volunteering at an animal shelter. Helping dogs with all sorts of special needs, quirks, and life experiences is challenging but rewarding, and I\u2019ve learned that dogs are incredibly resilient and resourceful. They inspire me. Giving back to them when they have given me so much hope and comfort feels good and right.<\/p>\n<p>My dogs are an important part of my life; not only are they my best friends, but they also play a significant role in helping me manage my anxiety. They help me feel capable. Dogs don\u2019t judge; they don\u2019t care if you struggle with mental illness\u2014they only want to be involved in your life, even when you\u2019re at your worst. And understanding that is incredibly healing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase kids on skateboards. They are too big for the subway and one of them\u2014Violet\u2014vomits anytime she\u2019s in a car. I love my dogs, but sometimes it seems they are<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\">Read More <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":16864,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,8,9],"tags":[981,980,806,805,519],"class_list":["post-16859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-stories","category-the-latest","tag-animal-therapy","tag-animals","tag-anxiety","tag-depression","tag-mental-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety | What\u2019s Good blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety | What\u2019s Good blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"What\u2019s Good blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/THEVITAMINSHOPPE\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"307\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patricia Grisafi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@VitaminShoppe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@VitaminShoppe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Patricia Grisafi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Patricia Grisafi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f1d57cd87f51379b10e8c78ec946c29a\"},\"headline\":\"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\"},\"wordCount\":1015,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"animal therapy\",\"animals\",\"anxiety\",\"depression\",\"mental health\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\",\"Stories\",\"The Latest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\",\"name\":\"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety | What\u2019s Good blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1\",\"width\":740,\"height\":307},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Health\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/health\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/\",\"name\":\"What\u2019s Good blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Vitamin Shoppe\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/v-logo.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/v-logo.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1\",\"width\":250,\"height\":250,\"caption\":\"The Vitamin Shoppe\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/THEVITAMINSHOPPE\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/VitaminShoppe\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vitaminshoppe\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-vitamin-shoppe\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/VitaminShoppe\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/TheVitaminShoppe1\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f1d57cd87f51379b10e8c78ec946c29a\",\"name\":\"Patricia Grisafi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87ca5c5e65d647782dabee9e927c5c92adaaa315f627f747a35fec927d0fc000?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87ca5c5e65d647782dabee9e927c5c92adaaa315f627f747a35fec927d0fc000?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Patricia Grisafi\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/author\/patricia-grisafi\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety | What\u2019s Good blog","description":"My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety | What\u2019s Good blog","og_description":"My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase ...","og_url":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/","og_site_name":"What\u2019s Good blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/THEVITAMINSHOPPE\/","article_published_time":"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":740,"height":307,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Patricia Grisafi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@VitaminShoppe","twitter_site":"@VitaminShoppe","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Patricia Grisafi","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/"},"author":{"name":"Patricia Grisafi","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f1d57cd87f51379b10e8c78ec946c29a"},"headline":"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety","datePublished":"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00","dateModified":"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/"},"wordCount":1015,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1","keywords":["animal therapy","animals","anxiety","depression","mental health"],"articleSection":["Health","Stories","The Latest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/","url":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/","name":"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety | What\u2019s Good blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1","datePublished":"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00","dateModified":"2017-12-21T14:28:33+00:00","description":"My two dogs would never cut it as certified therapy animals. They sneakily gobble petrified bacon off the concrete. They bark at other dogs. They chase ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1","width":740,"height":307},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/dogs-support-anxiety\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Health","item":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/health\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How My Dogs Help Me Cope With Anxiety"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/","name":"What\u2019s Good blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#organization","name":"The Vitamin Shoppe","url":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/v-logo.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/v-logo.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1","width":250,"height":250,"caption":"The Vitamin Shoppe"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/THEVITAMINSHOPPE\/","https:\/\/x.com\/VitaminShoppe","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vitaminshoppe\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-vitamin-shoppe\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/VitaminShoppe\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/TheVitaminShoppe1"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f1d57cd87f51379b10e8c78ec946c29a","name":"Patricia Grisafi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/whatsgood.vitaminshoppe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87ca5c5e65d647782dabee9e927c5c92adaaa315f627f747a35fec927d0fc000?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87ca5c5e65d647782dabee9e927c5c92adaaa315f627f747a35fec927d0fc000?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Patricia Grisafi"},"url":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/author\/patricia-grisafi\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Untitled-design-1-2.png?fit=740%2C307&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8QYGg-4nV","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitaminshoppe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}