Pet proves to be therapeutic for Piers

Piers, a resident at FitzRoy’s residential care home in Herefordshire, has his own pet rabbit in the garden of his home.

Pets are proven to be therapeutic for people of all ages and with all kinds of disabilities. Having a pet can reduce stress levels, make someone feel more relaxed, improve self-esteem, improve social skills, reduce anxiety, and much more.

Yvonne Hooper, Deputy Service Manager, told us about the benefits Piers gets from his rabbit.

Piers loves his rabbit, which he has had for a number of years. It lives in a rabbit run which he can see from his bedroom window and he enjoys watching him run around outside. Sometimes we bring the rabbit run into the living room so that Piers can watch him from there too.

The benefits of his rabbit are especially clear to see when Piers feels agitated. When we recognise him feeling this way we can bring Piers his rabbit which helps him feel much calmer and visibly more relaxed. The rabbit will happily sit on his lap for him to stroke and is just a wonderful companion for Piers to have.”