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

I recall the last weeks of my father's life, especially the day that my brother brought Moose, his enormous, gentle Rhodesian Ridgeback, to the hospice.

Every resident wanted to touch and pat Moose, who patiently made his rounds and gave everyone a generous turn.

The synergy between each dying human being and this warm, friendly dog was magical; the whole building seemed to glow with a quiet contentment and appreciation for these moments of aliveness.

So, I am especially delighted and moved that my friend Joan agreed to write this two-part post about her work with therapy animals. - LPC]

In my experience, animals provide invaluable benefits to humans both as pets and service animals. The National Pet Owners Survey of 2007-2008 found that about 71.1 million people in the United States are pet owners, owning at least one dog or one cat.  Most pets provide unconditional acceptance to family members.

There are many health benefits to interacting with animals.Blood pressure and heart rate have been shown to go down. Additionally, there can be a reduction in stress and anxiety. Even lower cholesterol levels have been reported with dog ownership. When children have been asked Who do you talk to when you are upset? the first response is often my pet.

Service animals, such as seeing eye dogs or hearing dogs, seizure alert dogs, even capuchin monkeys, are trained to work with individuals with disabilities.  They are not considered pets, but working animals.

There are also animals which provide Animal Assisted Therapy services.  These animals, usually with a human handler, visit individuals in health care facilities.

I had a dog named Sam who went with me to a skilled nursing facility.  We had goal directed interventions for a number of residents.

One woman who never left her room and with no roommate rarely spoke to her peers.  She would take Sam around the unit on a leash with my help.  Many people stopped to talk to her about Sam.  She would open up and interact. She told me once that she felt special having Sam as a friend.

Another gentleman would brush Sam each visit.  He spoke only Russian and thus could not communicate to the other residents or staff. It did not matter to Sam. The man would eagerly await our visits, bonding with Sam in a way he could not with the other people there. His amputated arm would caress Sam.  It was obvious that Sam’s presence allowed for special moments for this man. Moments he would not otherwise have had.

What is so especially comforting about animals?

• Is it their patience?
• Their unconditional acceptance of us?
• Their simple beauty and warmth?

Tomorrow we’ll hear about Sam’s training, and more!

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From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (May 16, 2010)

tamoor (May 16, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 16 May 2010