If you’ve got a calm AND loving pet, they could earn up to £50 an hour by comforting people who struggle with conditions like anxiety and stress.
Bark.com has launched a new Comfort Pet category, which will include reptiles, birds, cats, dogs and farm animals, after research shows that interacting with animals improves wellbeing.
Members of the public will be able to hire a pet of their choice for a minimum of an hour, to help with their symptoms at home or at work.
All owners have to do is sign their pets up to be a part of the Comfort Pet service.
The service has launched following research which shows that animal assisted therapy alleviates a number of physical and mental conditions, such as high blood pressure, stress, depression, anxiety, and behavioural problems.
The Comfort Pet service is aimed at all ages, and, depending on the pet owner, can include home and office visits, or onsite visits where participants travel to the pet’s location. Participants can also opt for group or one-to-one sessions, depending on the capability of the Comfort Pet and its owner.
Any species of pet can be signed up to the new service, including, but not limited to, birds, snakes, lizards, llamas, goats, dogs, cats, horses and rabbits. The trend for emotional support animals has increased rapidly over the last year, although these are not currently legally recognised like service animals such as Guide Dogs.
Comfort Pet providers can expect to earn up to £50 an hour, however the owner decides how much they charge.
The owner must be present during the comfort sessions, and must be able to demonstrate they have full control of their pet at all times.
It’s a good idea for the comfort pet and its owner to meet with the participants first to agree what will be covered in the session and to ensure that the pet is comfortable with the environment.
Bark.com also recommends a contract is written up which agrees the terms of the pet and participant’s interactions, including what is deemed as inappropriate behaviour by both parties and that both parties take full responsibility for their behaviour.
Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com said: ‘We are a country of animal lovers, and with research proving the health benefits of interacting with them, and a host of amazing pets out there, it made sense to expand our current therapy offering with Comfort Pets.
‘Many people appreciate and understand the benefits of spending time with animals, but for some it’s not always possible. We also want to make sure we offer a wide variety of pets, in part so the service can be completely tailored to each individual that uses it, but also to combat the rise in animal allergies in the UK.
‘Everyone should be able to benefit from spending time with their very own Comfort Pet, no matter their circumstances.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/17/your-pet-could-earn-50-an-hour-by-comforting-people-with-anxiety-10928827/
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