Many Treatment Centers Now Allow You to Bring Your Pet
If you’re going into rehab and feel anxious about leaving your dog or other pets behind, here’s some good news: You can probably find pet-friendly rehabs that will let your furry friend stay with you throughout your treatment. In fact, you probably should bring your pet if you can. They could improve your chance of success in recovery.
How Pets Help to Improve Outcomes in Addiction Treatment
From physical healing to emotional support, researchers have found many ways pets can help alcoholics and addicts succeed in treatment while attending pet-friendly rehabs:
They’re natural stress relievers
The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that people who regularly interact with animals have lower cortisol levels and blood pressure. The NIH also cites a survey by the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute, in which 74 percent of pet owners reported improvements in their mental health. When you’re calm and relaxed, you’re less likely to turn to chemicals for artificial relief.
Pets can help your brain learn to feel good naturally
While your pet reduces stress hormones, they’re also stimulating chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin – known as “the cuddle hormone” – that make you feel good. These are the same chemicals artificially created by drugs like opioids. If your brain learns to produce them naturally, it will reduce your dependence on artificial means of feeling pleasure.
Animal care teaches compassion
Being responsible for another living being – keeping them fed and sheltered, making sure they’re treated well, and that other needs are met – takes you out of yourself and reduces the feeling that everything is about you. Caring for a pet distracts you from your problems, so you may be better able to look for other ways of solving them.
Pets reduce risky behavior
You’re less likely to get drunk or high if your pet is waiting for you to take them for a walk or feed them. What if you’re hospitalized, arrested, or worse? Who’ll take care of your best friend? It’s another way of learning that actions have consequences, a fact that can be clouded in addiction.
Pets help you follow healthy routines
Rehab patients are often encouraged to build healthy habits by practicing regular routines. Caring for a pet requires following a routine, and these habits tend to be physically fit; you can burn off excess energy by taking regular walks and playing games with each other.
They reduce negative emotions
A pet’s simple companionship gives you a way to cope with the feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression you may experience during your recovery. It’s hard to explode or isolate yourself when your pet is eager to play with you. It’s an opportunity to learn how to re-channel negative emotions and deal with them in a healthy way.
They give you unconditional love
All a pet asks of you is that you give them food, shelter, and a little attention – and sometimes they don’t even ask for that much. Your pet loves you no matter what, and their affection is obvious. Once you experience how it feels to be loved, you may want to seek that feeling from other natural sources.
Pet-Friendly Rehab at Muse Treatment Center in Los Angeles
While pet-friendly rehabs are becoming more common, it’s not available everywhere. Muse Treatment Center in Los Angeles welcomes animal companions to pet-friendly rehab because we know a relationship with a pet is a powerful positive influence. The bond between humans and animals provides essential support for continued recovery. To learn more about how your pet can fit into rehab at Muse Treatment, call 800-426-1818.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you bring your pet to drug or alcohol rehab?
Yes — at Muse Treatment in Los Angeles, clients can bring their pets to their pet-friendly rehab program. The Muse Treatment page notes that Muse welcomes animal companions because the bond between humans and animals provides essential support for continued recovery. This is not universal across all rehab centers, but pet-friendly facilities are becoming more common as evidence for the therapeutic benefits of animal companionship in treatment accumulates. The ability to bring a pet can be a meaningful factor for people who have been reluctant to enter treatment because they don't want to be separated from their animal companion.
What are the benefits of having a pet during addiction treatment?
The Muse Treatment page identifies several well-documented benefits of having a pet during addiction treatment: pets provide unconditional love and comfort, reduce anxiety and depression (studies show pet owners are significantly less depressed), give a sense of responsibility and purpose that supports recovery motivation, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and make the rehabilitation process less lonely. Pets can also sense their owners' emotional states and provide instinctive comfort during difficult moments in treatment. For many people, the responsibility of caring for a dependent animal serves as a powerful motivation to stay engaged in their own recovery — 'I need to be well for them.'
Are all pets allowed in pet-friendly rehab centers?
The specific pets allowed at pet-friendly rehab centers vary by facility. The Muse Treatment page notes that most patients who bring pets to Muse bring a dog or cat, but that Muse is flexible if the patient brings proof (presumably documentation of the pet's health and vaccinations). Typical requirements include up-to-date vaccinations, flea and parasite treatment, behavioral suitability for a group living environment, and confirmation that the pet won't disrupt other clients' treatment. Not all Muse locations are pet-friendly — the page notes that the Balboa facility in Newport Beach is an exception. Calling ahead to confirm the specific pet policy at any rehab is always a good idea.
What if I'm worried about my pet while in rehab?
Worry about a pet's wellbeing is actually one of the most common practical barriers people cite when considering entering inpatient addiction treatment. The Muse Treatment page explicitly acknowledges this concern, noting that finding pet care for the length of an extended inpatient program can be very difficult as well as emotionally challenging. A pet-friendly rehab directly addresses this barrier by allowing the person to bring their animal companion with them, removing both the practical problem of pet care and the emotional stress of separation. For people whose concern for their pet has been a genuine obstacle to treatment, Muse Treatment's pet-friendly policy removes this barrier entirely.
How do pets help reduce anxiety during drug detox and withdrawal?
The Muse Treatment page notes that during the physical discomfort of withdrawal — when the body is adjusting to the absence of its substance of choice — having a pet nearby can provide comfort and grounding that reduces the psychological distress of the process. Petting an animal has been shown to lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and increase oxytocin (a bonding and calming hormone) in humans. These physiological effects can meaningfully reduce withdrawal anxiety and provide a calming sensory focus during difficult moments. A pet's consistent, unconditional presence also provides stability and predictability in an emotionally turbulent period.
Does animal-assisted therapy work for addiction treatment?
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an evidence-supported therapeutic intervention in which trained animals — most commonly dogs and horses (equine therapy) — are incorporated into structured therapeutic sessions to achieve clinical goals. Research on AAT in addiction treatment has shown benefits including reduced anxiety, improved emotional expression, increased treatment engagement, and enhanced therapeutic alliance. The Muse Treatment page focuses more on the general companion animal benefits of pet-friendly policy than on formal AAT, though both can be valuable. Equine therapy in particular has a growing evidence base in trauma-informed addiction treatment, addressing the trust, emotional regulation, and nonverbal communication skills relevant to recovery.
What should someone consider when deciding whether to bring a pet to rehab?
Before bringing a pet to rehab, consider whether the specific facility allows your type of pet and has confirmed this with you, whether your pet has the temperament to adapt to a new environment, whether the pet's routine needs (exercise, special diets, medical care) can be accommodated, whether other clients at the facility might have allergies or anxiety around animals, and whether your pet's presence will genuinely support your treatment focus rather than creating additional worry or distraction. The Muse Treatment page frames this as a positive option for people whose attachment to their pet has been a barrier to entering treatment, but the decision should be made in consultation with the treatment team.
How does bringing a pet to rehab help with motivation and accountability?
The Muse Treatment page highlights that pets provide a powerful sense of responsibility and purpose: they need to eat, go for walks, and play regardless of how their human feels. This creates a natural motivation structure that supports recovery — even on the hardest days of treatment, the pet's needs provide a reason to get up, go outside, and engage with something beyond one's own pain. This accountability is distinct from the accountability of a sponsor or therapist, carrying an unconditional quality that many people find easier to accept in early recovery. Caring well for a dependent creature also rebuilds a person's sense of capability and self-worth in concrete, daily ways.
Can emotional support animals be used differently from regular pets in rehab?
Yes — emotional support animals (ESAs) have a specific legal designation that includes documentation from a healthcare provider confirming the animal's therapeutic role for the owner's mental health condition. While an ESA designation is not required to bring a pet to a pet-friendly rehab, having formal ESA documentation may provide additional accommodation rights in certain housing or treatment settings and may be useful in future situations. The Muse Treatment page notes that all pets have the potential to be emotional support animals in a genuine sense, regardless of formal certification. What matters most is the quality of the bond and the tangible comfort the animal provides.
What other holistic treatments does Muse Treatment offer alongside pet-friendly care?
Muse Treatment offers a range of holistic and integrative treatments as part of its comprehensive addiction recovery program, reflecting the understanding that lasting recovery requires healing the whole person — body, mind, and spirit. In addition to its pet-friendly policy, Muse offers neurofeedback therapy, which uses brain wave monitoring to help clients develop better self-regulation; TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) for treatment-resistant depression; Spravato (ketamine-based therapy) for depression and trauma; nutrition and exercise as components of physical wellness; and holistic therapies including art and music therapy. These offerings complement evidence-based clinical treatment to create a more comprehensive and individualized healing environment.
