Over this past weekend, my brother with autism was gifted the thing he's always wanted, a puppy of his very own. When we were young, we had a golden retriever named Skipper that was Trey's favorite companion. Ever since Skipper's death, Trey has wanted a golden retriever. Although he was gifted a goldendoodle, his excitement for the new friend was instant. He decided to name him Elvis and this is Trey's new therapy dog of sorts. He loves that Elvis follows him everywhere and sleeps with him at night. I haven't seen Trey this excited in a long time so I decided to make a list on why dogs are important.

1.) They can help their owner out.

This is probably the most obvious. Different dogs are useful for different things. One may be trained to help get things for their owners or help their owners around. Others may be there for emotional support when the owner is stressed or has anxiety. Another use is when the owner has epilepsy or involuntarily hurts themselves, the dogs can come in to block hits or the owner's head from hitting solid ground.

2.) They offer more than physical help.

Studies show that by having a dog that makes you laugh and even lay with causes the brain to release endorphins that make you more happy. Therapy dogs have recently been used to help conquer anxiety and depression and other mental illnesses with their constant happiness and love toward their owners. They can bring you up from your darkest of times.

3.) They'll love you regardless.

Dogs are the one thing in this world that can provide the utter most happiness. They live their whole lives trying to make their owners happy. We're all that they know, so in a way I feel that we are their therapy humans. By showing we love them, that's what makes their lives worth living.