The power of therapy pets cannot be overstated. The mere sight of them can make a person suffering from pain, loneliness, and/or boredom break into a smile thereby lowering their stress level. “Pet Therapy” is a pleasant visit from a furry friend.
Across the U.S., tens of thousands of animals (mostly dogs and cats) serve as therapy pets. They alleviate stress and anxiety for those who are hospitalized or in nursing homes. They help the healing process.
- A 2009 study “Creating a Therapeutic and Healing Environment with a Pet Therapy Program,” showed, “Quantitative and qualitative findings provide support for decreased tension/anxiety and fatigue/inertia and improved overall mood.”
- Long-term studies have concluded that petting dogs and cats can increase the "feel good" brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine.
- One multi-state study found that medication costs dropped an average of $3.80 per patient, per day, in new nursing home facilities where animals were included in the environment.
According to one doctor who has observed many pet therapy visits, “Because of their unconditional love, therapy pets can bring joy and happiness to a day that may have started without either.”
Health care workers benefit, too. One study found that health care professionals showed less stress after just five minutes with a therapy dog.
Any breed of dog or cat can be used for pet therapy. A calm, gentle personality and a people-oriented animal are the most important characteristics.
Nationally, groups such as the Delta Society (www.DeltaSociety.org) and Therapy Dogs International (www.tdi-dog.org/) help promote animal-assisted therapy. They establish guidelines and training programs and register volunteer animal-human teams.
The comforting effects of animals have been observed for centuries.
- In England in the 1790s, the Society of Friends ran a well-documented retreat for the mentally ill where patients learned to care for animals and work in a garden as part of their therapy.
- Nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale recommended "a small pet animal" as an "excellent companion for the sick."
- In the United States, animal visits have been used in a mental health program since 1919 at a hospital in Washington, D.C.
Boris Levinson, an American child psychiatrist, is generally credited with coining the phrase “Pet Therapy” in the 1960s, following observations he made when he began to use his dog Jingles in sessions with severely withdrawn children.
Jingles served as an icebreaker, softening the children's defenses and providing a focus for communication. With the animal present, Dr. Levinson could join in, establish a rapport, and begin therapy. Levinson later wrote several books about pets and human psychology, and he sparked more research into the use of animals with patients.
Why can pet therapy be so successful? Many researchers say it is because of the element of touch – our ability to touch pets and their ability to touch us.
In Between Pets and People, authors Alan Beck and Aaron Katcher suggest that touch gives the relationship between pets and people a quality of therapeutic intimacy. The animal doesn’t offer opinions or criticisms or tell you what to do; instead, it will be attentive but silent, keeping up the appearance of being interested in the conversation.
The big difference between dogs and therapists, of course, is that the dog can jump up and lick you, nuzzle you with his snout, and let you kiss and hug him anytime the impulse strikes.
What about pets at home—Is that also good for your health?
For the six in 10 Americans who own some type of pet (according to the Gallup Lifestyle Poll), the answer is, “Definitely.”
- The simple act of petting an animal is known to cause a person's blood pressure to drop, says Alan Beck, ScD, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University.
- Elderly people caring for a pet show improved alertness.
- Studies have shown that patients who suffer heart attacks and come back from the hospital to a home with a pet have higher survival rates than patients who are not pet owners.
- What about the effect on a high-stress life? Another study looked at the effects of pet ownership on 48 stockbrokers who were already taking medication for hypertension. It found that the 24 stockbrokers who were given a pet had significantly more of a reduction in high blood pressure accompanying stress than did those without pets.
Stephen Sinatra, MD, is a board-certified cardiologist in Connecticut. In his book Heart Sense for Women, Dr. Sinatra talks about some other lessons we can learn from our animal friends:
- Appreciation. Pets bring tranquil and playful energy and can teach us to be more comfortable and in tune with our bodies.
- Relaxation. Just being in the presence of a pet can induce relaxation. Some yoga postures mimic the action of a cat stretching and arching its back as it wakes up.
- Play. Many of us confuse play with competition. True recreational play is spontaneous. “When physical activity doesn’t involve any preconceived agenda, it can be one of the most healing things we can do,” writes Dr. Sinatra.
Dogs actually encourage positive behaviors. Research shows that when walking a dog, people tend to make more eye contact and have more people interact with them.
People with dogs also tend to walk more on average. By walking and playing with your dog for approximately 20 minutes, five times per week, you could lose 10-15 pounds in a year without changing your diet.
And then there are the animal superstars who do remarkable work to help humans.
Service Animals (also called “assistance animals”) are defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as those trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. Service animals can guide the blind, signal the hearing impaired, and perform other work for persons with disabilities other than blindness or deafness.
British novelist George Eliot once wrote, “Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” She might have added: “And they’re good for your health!”
