[On Mondays (Luna's Day) we've been sharing insights about animals and their value and meaning in our lives.

Several people have written in to share appreciation for the very special role their companion animals have played in their lives.

Ray described how much his service dog, Sarah, means to him:

...I am trying to do all that I can to prepare for the loss of my service dog and companion of, now, 14 years.

Sarah came to me at 3 months and has traveled with me to many places. This includes physical as well as emotional places. I cannot imagine life without her, nor do I want to.

Because she has been there for me during all of her years, I want to be there for her for all of her time with me, and this is why I am trying to prepare – so I can be present and mindful for her all the way to her end. She may have a couple of years left, but, by preparing now, I am hoping to make our “baby girl’s” last years the best they can be.

So, I am grateful that my friend Joan agreed to write this two-part post about therapy animals and Sam, the companion dog she trained.  - LPC]

Sam seemed to enjoy the attention just as much as the residents. We stopped going to this nursing home when Sam became too old.

Training Sam happened in my course work at Mercy College. He was “socialized” in a classroom full of dogs.

He learned the basic commands as well as special ones like put your head on a lap, walking on a leash, and how to manage around medical equipment such as walkers, canes and wheelchairs.

He was temperament tested.  We found he would not startle at loud noises, tolerated his ears being handled, and tail tugged.

Sam was gentle and obedient.  Once while practicing commands at home, I put Sam on a sit-stay and got distracted forgetting about him.  Two hours later he was still there.

One must be careful in that these animals must be free of pests (fleas, worms, etc) and disease, especially zoonotic diseases (ones which can be transmitted from animals to humans), well groomed, and fully vaccinated. A therapist must find out who is allergic to animals as well.

Some facilities have resident animals. While this can be very beneficial one must be careful. Selecting the animal for temperament is critical as is providing a strict schedule of who will and when the animal will be cared for.

The Delta Society (deltasociety.org.) can provide you with more information about Animal Assisted Therapy.

Please share your own stories about the comfort and services animals can provide!

Photo of our cat, Fish. I’ve heard that ginger cats make the best therapy cats due to their especially sweet temperaments.

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From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (May 17, 2010)

Therapy Animals Provide Comfort and Connection, part two | Always … University Intro (May 17, 2010)

Therapy Animals Provide Comfort and Connection, part two | Always … Blog (May 17, 2010)

tamoor (May 17, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 17 May 2010