I'm always keen to make sure that my dogs are listed on official material as therapy dogs... Ten years ago I made a change to my HIV medication which I believe is the reason I'm here today (both alive and diabetic - the alive is the important part!). About a year later the medical staff were reviewing my results and couldn't believe the progress they thought they were seeing: apparently important blood counts had gone up over a hundred points over other others at the clinic who'd made the change in drugs at the same time as me. What was I doing differently?
The answer, of course was Zeus, or as we must now call him the honorary Dr Zeus. For years I'd resisted getting a dog, knowing that I'd be the one to walk him/her and so on, but suddenly it seemed right. My partner was sneaky and made sure that Zeus bonded with me rather than him - don't worry: when we got a female puppy some time later I used to swear that I was going to phone Trisha and ask for a DNA test to prove that B'Elana was John's daughter!
When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, the doctor said "well, I've met your dogs, I've no doubt your exercise regime is far and above what's needed." (It is - the Welsh mountains and hills can be somewhat unforgiving: a mile on the map is never a mile on the ground!)
When I lived in cities I made sure to make contact and, if at all possible, join, the group of people who walked their dogs at X o'clock. Bonds form quickly, largely defined by which dog gets on well with which. I remember meeting Jake the boxer's mum a few weeks after her double hip transplant half way down a path in the woods that I would consider challenging at the best of time "Does your doctor know you're here?" "No: and don't you dare tell her!" ;-) [for the record, if any of the humans present thought she was pushing her luck, she's have been back on flat ground before any of the dogs could fart].
I'm rambling: dogs are wonderful for exercise, but please do make make sure that you can cope with a dog in the rest of your life before committing to a dog: it's a life-long relationship...
S