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Therapy Prescription: Pet a Dog

On a sunny July day in 2005, I got home from swim practice and walked into my kitchen

to eat a snack. I looked out of the window and I spotted a small gray figure sprinting across the

lawn. I had seen him in our backyard a couple of days before. In fact, we had gone to the store

and bought supplies in case he returned. He was a skinny grey cat with distinctive white marks

on his face and chest. I called for my mom and we prepared a plate of cat food for him. My mom

gave me the bowl and we carefully opened the screen door to the backyard as to not scare him

away. We cautiously walked towards him, set down the food, and slowly backed away. Once he

realized the food was for him, he quickly ran over and started to scarf down the food. He had not

eaten for weeks. He looked pathetic. He weighed about six pounds and he was covered in dirt

and flies. For the next week, my mom and I continued to feed him and, after a while, he became

comfortable enough for me to pet him. For the next week or two, I ran home from swim practice

and went directly to the backyard where I would sit on the ground on my wet towel and swat the

flies away from the cat as I petted him and gave him treats.

We soon realized that this cat did not have any owners so we took him to the vet, named

him Winston, and adopted him. At the time, the vet thought he was at least ten years old and we

would have only a couple more years with him. Little did we know in 2005 that he would still

bring joy to our household in 2017. Winston became a part of our family and he has enriched our

lives for many years. Winston and I formed a great bond, which sparked my love for animals and

drove me to become a volunteer at Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), a local animal shelter,

during my freshman year at Northgate. As a result, I am usually surrounded by animals and have

seen the delight that they bring to people. Everytime I show people a dog or a cat at ARF they

always light up and become instantly happy. Since I have seen this happen again and again, I

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have wondered why animals affect people this way and why animals seem to help people when

they are sad or hurting. This led me to investigate the question: How do animals help to alleviate

stress and provide therapy to those in need?

To see the happiness that animals bring to people, I visited a birthday party put on by the

people at ARF. ARF hosts birthday parties so it can educate children from ages four and up on

the importance of animals and how to treat animals properly. I walked through the glass doors of

ARF and was hit with the smell of freshly popped popcorn and cleaning fluid from the newly

mopped floor. Light from the sun roof filled the foyer. As I walked to the birthday party room, I

passed playful cats and dogs in their brightly colored condos. The birthday party room was

packed with small children and their parents. Towards the end of every party, the kids interact for

about 15 minutes with an animal from the Pet Hug Pack. The Pet Hug Pack is an organization of

owners and their dogs who visit places, such as schools and hospitals. I watched as the children

quietly listened to the party leader talk about how to approach a dog. The children had no idea

that they were about to meet a giant bear-like dog called a Leonberger. The party leader gave the

signal to the Leonbergers owner and the dog entered the room. I could see all of the childrens

faces light up immediately and they all rushed towards the dog. Everyone, including myself, had

a giant smile on their face. I found it amazing that the mere presence of a dog could lift

everyones spirits so drastically. Many organizations, including the Pet Hug Pack, take advantage

of this effect that animals have on people, and use it to help people in need of therapy.

Through my research, I learned that animals can provide therapy and help people in need

in many ways. A number of animals, including, cats, dogs, birds, and horses, have been used to

help these people where therapy is provided. Animals have appeared in mental hospitals, nursing

homes, schools, and jails for more than 150 years (Rovner). Some call this kind of therapy

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Animal-Assisted Therapy. In a book by Jacqueline Crawford and Karen Pomerinke, they

describe it as follows: Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is the process of including a well-

trained and well-socialized animal as a therapeutic tool. Therapy animals are commonly used in

medical, physical, and mental hospital health settings as well as as in rehabilitation (Crawford et

al. 163). AAT is a relatively new kind of therapy, which has become increasingly popular. To find

out more about the subject, I interviewed Pet Hug Pack Coordinator, Pat Mills. Mills described

animal therapy by saying, Animal therapy defies scientific explanation and cannot be compared

to other types of therapy. This statement could not be more true. Animal therapy is a completely

different kind of therapy and few understand why it works. As described below, therapy animals

can help people with different types of mental illnesses, elderly people, people with severe

medical conditions, and everyday animals help their owners daily without them even knowing it.

For example, animals can dramatically help people with various mental conditions, such

as autism, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Children with autism usually have underdeveloped

social skills and they find interacting with people difficult. In a CBS article, Jessica Firger wrote,

new research finds autistic children who have pets at home have much more advanced social

skills and are more assertive and communicative than autistic children who do not have an

animal companion (Firger). Many children with autism are closely connected to their pets

because their pets provide a sense of companionship and security. A variety of different animals

can help with autism. Recently, a speech therapist, Cathy Coleman, worked with a nine-year-old

boy with autism, named Ryan (Rovner). Their therapy sessions took place at a barn where they

worked with a pony named Happy. Coleman and Ryan used to meet in a regular office setting but

once they started their sessions with Happy, Ryans speech abilities dramatically increased. He

also was able to follow directions better and improved his basic life skills including, getting

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dressed and balance. This example shows that AAT does not have to directly relate to the needs

that autistic children have, such as improving a childs ability to communicate, to be successful.

Something as simple as horseback riding can greatly improve an autistic childs life.

Animals also have been used with people who have been through a traumatic experience.

Veterans that suffer from PTSD improve greatly by having an animal as a companion. The

animal helps them feel a sense of love and reduces their stress. Dogs can aid veterans because

they take orders well, which is very comforting for someone with PTSD who is used to very

structured rules and orders from the military (Dogs and PTSD). Dogs also reduce the persons

anxiety. Some people with PTSD constantly sense danger when they enter a new building or are

doing something that is out of their comfort zone. Having a dog helps these people feel protected

and secure. Dogs also can support people who have gone through other traumas. National

Geographic reported that, in 2012, comfort dogs were brought to the victims of the Sandy Hook

shooting. A little girl who hadnt spoken since the shootings finally started talking to her mother

again after petting one of the comfort dogs (Fiegl). Similarly, Merope Pavlides found that a

concentration camp survivor, Bettelheim noticed similarities in behaviors of children with autism

and victims of the camp, and erroneously deduced a correlation in etiology (Pavlides 17). Often

children with autism and people who suffer from a trauma are unable to trust and open up.

Animals, like the comfort dogs used at the Sandy Hook shooting, can support people by giving

them someone to trust, which allows them to share their feelings (Pavlides 20).

People who suffer from depression and anxiety also may be unable to feel safe or open

up. Animals are very helpful for them as well. In particular, dogs assist people with these

disorders because dogs force them to be active. People who are anxious and depressed find it

difficult and stressful to leave their homes because they feel comfortable when they are isolated.

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Because dogs need to go on walks, their owners must overcome their fears and go outside when

they would not otherwise do so (Schwartz). As with people with autism, pets provide a sense of

companionship for people suffering from anxiety, which helps build their self confidence. In a

study done by Andrea Beetz and her colleagues, one group interacted with an animal for 15 min

while the control group read magazines. Interacting with the animal significantly reduced anxiety

and fear (Beetz et al.). These researchers also conducted numerous studies on the subject of

human-animal interaction and they found benefits for: social attention, social behavior,

interpersonal interactions, and mood; stress-related parameters such as cortisol, heart rate, and

blood pressure; self-reported fear and anxiety; and mental and physical health, especially

cardiovascular diseases (Beetz et al.). Given these benefits, it is not surprising that animals help

people who feel anxious or alone.

Nursing homes also have employed animal therapy to assist elderly people. Elderly

people often feel lonely and constantly worry about tomorrow, which can lead to depression in

some cases. Animals that go to nursing homes brighten peoples days and support them by

making them feel less lonely. In an article about animal therapy with elderly people, Barbara

Ballinger said, For elderly pet owners, who often live alone or in group facilities, pets can help

reduce stress, lower blood pressure, increase social interaction, and help them learn (Ballinger).

Animals help elderly people not only with loneliness, they also help with their physical well-

being. Studies have found that animal companionship has helped contribute to higher survival

rates of people with coronary disease and has saved the lives of about 30,000 people from dying

with a heart disease every year (Curit). In some cases, animals also are saving elderly people

money because they are receiving the benefits of animal therapy rather than paying for other

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kinds of medical treatment. In fact, some elderly people are saving thousands of dollars on

medical bills every year as well as receiving extremely beneficial therapy (Curit).

Animals also are appearing more often at hospitals because they can provide a lot of

support to people with medical conditions. Animal-assisted therapy in hospitals occurs when a

doctor suggests that a patient may benefit from pet therapy. If the patient agrees, an animal,

usually a dog, is brought into the patients room. The patient usually spends 10 to 15 minutes

petting the dog and interacting with the dogs owner before the dog is taken away (Pet

Therapy). The dog does not have to do anything special because the mere presence of the dog is

the patients therapy session. Doctors prescribe this therapy because therapy pets repeatedly

show that animals can jump start therapy when the therapists, clients, or patients are avoidant,

have become stuck in their therapies, or have little to no hope of progress (Crawford et al. 167).

This therapy may be effective because studies have shown that animals significantly reduce

peoples pain, anxiety, and depression in people who are cancer patients, who are in long-term

care facilities, or who are hospitalized with chronic heart failure (Pet Healer). I was surprised

to learn that petting an animal can have all these great psychological effects.

For animal-assisted therapy in places like hospitals, a dog is usually used for the therapy

sessions. Dogs are used for therapy in this kind of environment because they are so use to

meeting new people and are comfortable in new environments. Other animals also can assist

people and may provide different perks depending on the environment. I recently sat down and

chatted with Anne Martin, who is the executive director at the House Rabbit Society. Martin

stated, Rabbits have been used in animal therapy but are not the best choice for therapy that

involves a lot of travel because rabbits are usually uncomfortable in unfamiliar environments.

So, they are more beneficial to the therapy of their specific owner. Even though animal therapy

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uses specially trained animals, regular animals also can greatly improve the overall happiness

and stress of their owners. People and their pets often form an unbreakable bond because animals

are able to forge very strong emotional connections with their owners (Crawford et al. 165).

Even though people rarely use rabbits in animal therapy settings outside their homes, rabbits can

still give the same healthful benefits to their owner.

In doing my research, I found one scientific reason why animals have a beneficial effect

on people. The cause is a chemical in our brain, which increases when we are near an animal.

When animals and humans interact, the humans level of oxytocin increases. Oxytocin is a

hormone in the brain. When it is released into the bloodstream, it induces a person to feel more

relaxed, it makes them feel more trusting, and it provides physiological stability. Oxytocin also

helps reduce stress and helps with anxiety (Macgill). Rebecca Johnson, who is the head of the

Research Center for Human/Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri College of

Veterinary Science, said in an interview with Julie Rovner from NPR that, Oxytocin has some

powerful effects for us in the body's ability to be in a state of readiness to heal, and also to grow

new cells, so it predisposes us to an environment in our own bodies where we can be healthier

(Rovner). Beetz and her colleagues found similar results after they did numerous tests on the

subject. They found that oxytocin stimulates social interaction and it increases eye contact,

empathy, face memory, trust, social skills, positive self-perception, and generosity and decreases

depression (Beetz et al.). They also found it decreases the glucocorticoid (stress hormone) levels

in people. No wonder animals are so advantageous to people with anxiety and depression.

Oxytocin also increases how the parasympathetic nervous system functions. The parasympathetic

nervous system controls the endocrine system of the gastrointestinal tract, which helps people

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remain healthy, and helps restore ones body. Thus, oxytocin explains why animals are so helpful

for people who are recovering from a medical condition and need rehabilitation.

As described above, over the years, animal therapy has become increasingly popular.

Animals can be found at nursing homes, hospitals, and mental hospitals. They also provide

therapy and improve the lives of their pet owners everyday. As explained above, animals may

help people because they induce an increase in a persons oxytocin hormone, which reduces

stress. Oxytocin appears to be one answer to my original question of why animals help reduce

peoples stress and why they are used to provide therapy to people. Even though oxytocin has all

of these great effects, I still wonder why animal therapy can cause people to recover from

incurable medical conditions. As Mills explained in my interview with her, animal therapy is

almost unexplainable by science. It is practically magic and it works in ways no one can quite

understand. Even though my research answered part of my question, many other questions still

remain unanswered about animal therapy. As animal therapy continues to grow in popularity,

more people will become aware of this effective therapy. I strongly believe that researchers

should conduct more studies so we can learn the full extent to which animal therapy can assist

people. Maybe it can aid in finding cancer cures, or maybe it can help treat autism or

Alzheimers. With so many possibilities for this therapy, I look forward to seeing how it is used

in the future.

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Works Cited

Books:

Crawford, Jacqueline J., Karen A. Pomerinke, and Donald W. Smith. Therapy Pets: The

Animal - Human Healing Partnership. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2007. Print.

Pavlides, Merope. Animal-assisted Interventions for Individuals with Autism. London:

Jessica Kingsley, 2008. Print.

Electronic Sources:

Ballinger, Barbara. "The Healing Power of Pets for Elderly People." The Benefits of

Elderly Owning Pets - AgingCare.com. N.p., 18 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Beetz, Andrea, Kerstin Uvns-Moberg, Henri Julius, and Kurt Kotrschal. "Psychosocial

and Psychophysiological Effects of Human-Animal Interactions: The Possible

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Role of Oxytocin." Frontiers in Psychology. Frontiers Research Foundation, 9

July 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Curit, Rachel. "Benefits of Animal Companionship for the Elderly." One Green Planet.

N.p., 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Dogs and PTSD." Dogs and PTSD - PTSD: National Center for PTSD. U.S. Department

of Veteran Affairs, 31 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Fiegl, Amanda. "The Healing Power of Dogs." National Geographic. National

Geographic Society, 21 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Firger, Jessica. "Pets Help Autistic Kids Improve Social Skills." CBS News. CBS

Interactive, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

MacGill, Markus. "Oxytocin: What Is It and What Does It Do?" Medical News Today.

MediLexicon International, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Pet Therapy: Man's Best Friend as Healer." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

Rovner, Julie. "Pet Therapy: How Animals And Humans Heal Each Other." NPR. NPR,

05 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Schwartz, Allan. "Depression, Anxiety And Pets." Mental Help Depression Anxiety and

Pets Comments. N.p., 27 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Primary Sources:

Martin, Anne. Personal Interview. 8 March 2017.

Mills, Pat. Personal Interview. 15 March 2017.

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