**2. Overview of animal-assisted therapy**

The American Veterinary Medical Association has been involved in human and animal interaction as psychological and physical functions between human beings and animals. In this interaction, they define individual's quality of life as a structure that contributes positively to their improvement [1]. Animal-assisted rehabilitation, the inclusion of animals that can interact with humans such as cats, dogs, and horses, has an active role in the rehabilitation process with the aim of achieving rehabilitation goals [2, 3]. When such approaches are incorporated into rehabilitation programs, the general condition of the individual and the treatment principle that the rehabilitation team has followed are taken into account [4, 5]. Animal-assisted rehabilitation approaches, rather than a stand-alone approach, are a strategic concept where multiple professionals work together to achieve interdisciplinary goals within a single goal [5]. This framework consists of three basic questions. The first question is "what are the benefits of the individual animal and therapeutic activities including animals?" The second question is "how to include the animal to the rehabilitation process?" The third question is "what are the most appropriate activities for the individual?" [1] Based on the answers of these questions, animal-supported approaches are grouped under two main headings: animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapies (AAT). When therapeutic properties of AAA are investigated, it has been found that it helps to reduce the level of stress and anxiety and indirectly increasing the self-confidence and socializing. It is stated that AATs were predominantly used to support neurodevelopmental substructures of individuals and make a positive contribution to their well-being [6].
