| Visiting
Pets and Animal Assisted Therapy
My husband and I have been doing pet therapy, once a month, at a
local assisted living facility with a wonderful group of volunteers.
Pets to Please, the name
of our volunteer program, is now in its 7th year of spreading
love and cheer to the residents of the Bridge of Orlando. Our dogs,
Scooter and Mollie, love doing their volunteer work every month! It
is like traveling with a couple of rock stars. The residents are in
the lobby area waiting for us to walk in. As they catch sight of the
dogs they break into smiles. A few of the residents may be napping.
But Scooter and Mollie make their rounds and quietly walk up to
gently nudge an arm with their nose to get the attention and soft
pats on the head.
Scooter has been doing this work for so long he needs no
instruction. He calmly walks from person to person charming each one
with his beautiful eyes and quiet demeanor. He even knows how to
walk up to the automatic doors to make them open, so he can walk up 
to a man with a walker who is hesitant at seeing a 63 pound dog on
the other side. The man looks down, smiles and reaches out to pet
Scooter’s head. Another fan is won over!
Mostly though, Scooter simply will walk around the room, sitting
next to each individual and allowing them to stroke his soft fur.
Studies have shown stroking a dog or cat
can reduce a person's blood pressure. Petting encourages use of
hands and arms, stretching, and turning.
An animal visit can offer entertainment. Scooter does tricks and
Mollie likes to dress up in fancy, colorful collars and her wardrobe
brings humor to our visits.
We hear a lot of stories about dogs and other pets the residents
have had over the years. People love animals and some of the most
emotional stories we hear are about a favorite pet that died long
ago.
The rewards of bringing your dog or other pet into a nursing
home, assisted facility or hospital are many, for the dogs and the
owners. We highly recommend that others give it a try. It is a
wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning!
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More information:
"Visiting Pets" "Therapy Dogs" "Therapy
Pets" are just some of the names given to describe programs in
which animals help people just by visiting with them. The most
commonly used term for a dog visiting in residential care facilities
is "therapy dog," osr "visiting dog" when the
visit is general.
Why take animals visiting in health care facilities?
Visiting with animals can help people feel less lonely and less
depressed. Visits from dogs can provide a welcome change from
routine. People become more active and responsive both during and
after visiting with animals.
People often talk to the dogs and share with them their thoughts
and feelings and memories. Animal visits provide something to look
forward to.
The pet makes it easier for two strangers to talk. It gives
people a common interest and provides a focus for conversation. Many
people in hospitals or group homes have had to give up pet
ownership, and they miss the casual acceptance a pet gives them. A
dog pays little attention to age or physical ability, but accepts
people as they are. The benefits continue even after the visit. The
visit leaves behind memories not only of the visit, but of past
experiences. It offers something for people to share.
Can other kinds of pets participate?
Yes, most domestic animals can be suitable for visiting.
What makes a good therapy dog?
Any breed of dog can participate. Visiting dogs must be social.
The point of the program is the interaction between the dog and the
people you are visiting. If the dog does not enjoy the visit, the
interaction will be less than ideal. The person needs to feel
accepted by the dog. A doggie rejection could make the visit more
hurtful than no visit at all. A good therapy dog is calm, tolerant
and friendly. The visits should be pleasurable for both of you.
Don't try to force therapy work on a dog.
Visiting dogs must be polite and well socialized. They should be
non aggressive toward other dogs and people. The balance between
calmness and friendliness is a difficult one. Even an excellent
obedience dog may not be a good visiting dog if it shows little
interest in meeting people. An aloof dog may be calm, but may cause
people to feel rejected. A very friendly dog may have the best of
intentions but may cause injury. A dog that is full of energy and
always ready to work may be too active for most situations.
http://www.dogplay.com/Activities/Therapy/therapy.html
http://www.dogplay.com/Activities/Therapy/tFAQ.html#Define1
Getting involved
If you are interested in getting
involved in visiting with your dog,
you will need more information. You will need to consider your dog's
personality, temperament and behavior. Work with your dog in
encountering unusual sights, sounds and smells. By joining a group
you can take advantage of insurance and get help evaluating your
dog. See site:
http://www.tdi-dog.org
and search the internet for pet therapy and dog therapy.
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Next time you’re in the hospital, don’t be
surprised if you
get a visit from a four-legged friend. Why? More “therapy pets”
are visiting patients than ever because they’re better at
cheering people up than humans! In fact, a study at UCLA found that
when heart patients were visited by a furry friend, they were 25%
less
anxious, and their stress hormones fell by 20%.
However, when patients were visited
by people, their anxiety levels only dropped 10%,
and their stress hormone levels hardly decreased at all!
So, what are therapy pets? According to
USA
Today, they’re basically house
pets that love people and have a calm demeanor and solid obedience
skills. Most of them are dogs – but they also include cats, birds,
rabbits, llamas, and miniature horses. They visit hospitals,
hospices, and rehab centers. Patients get a boost from the
unconditional acceptance and cheerful demeanor of a pet. In fact,
animals are so good at motivating, cheering, calming, and
stabilizing patients that doctors, counselors, physical therapists,
and crisis managers are begging for more volunteer human-animal
teams.
Therapy animals have also visited schools to help with reading
programs or “special ed” students. Studies show that kids
who have been silent for months will often talk to a dog. Therapy
animals have also comforted survivors at funeral homes and disaster
sites and reduced tensions in prisons. The U.S. military even sent
therapy dogs into a war zone to help the troops in Iraq. So how does
a dog go from being a family pet to a therapist? Each animal and
their handler has to go through special training, to make sure they
don’t get upset by strange smells, awkward hugs, and loud noises.
Or get tripped up by wheelchairs and walkers. If they pass muster,
they’re certified and sent out into the field. If you’d like to
see if your dog - or cat or rabbit - has what it takes to be a
therapy animal, here's a website for you: www.Delta.Society.org
.
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Related links:
www.specialneedspets.org/
- Disabled
Animals Resources, information and support for owners and caregivers
of special needs pets.
Why
pet therapy is important - ...Community
programs that bring animals and people together for companionship
and therapy began in the 1970s, and are growing rapidly. The
introduction of animals into the patients' environment is a way of
humanizing health care.
How
to benefit from pet therapy - Pet therapy has long been
considered a viable method of easing anxiety, reducing stress and
increasing socialization, which in turn benefits both mental health
patients and the physically ill. Although the scientific research on
this phenomenon is not entirely clear, the effects are easily
documented.
By
eHow Pets Editor
|
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