Pet Therapy

Pet therapy promotes human well-being through bonding with an animal, most often a cat, dog, or other household pet

Origins

The domestication of animals and birds probably originated in prehistoric times. By the time the Egyptians exalted the cat to the status of a god about 3.000 b.c. household pets were common. In the late 1800s, the first seeing eye dogs for the blind were trained, utilizing the deep bond that develops between a sightless owner and an animal and inspiring the concept of pet therapy. In recent years, new therapeutic uses have been found for pets. This process began with an investigation of the contribution of pets to mental health. Since then, numerous medical studies have documented physical benefits as well.

Practitioners

Pet therapy may be initiated by a psychotherapist, physician, social worker, or family counselor. More often, it takes place informally, as when a parent gives a disabled child a pet to care for to help in building self-esteem, or an older person acquires a pet in order to cope with a loved one's death.

When is Pet Therapy Used

Many situations are appropriate. Pet therapists have taken animals into nursing homes to be hugged and stroked by lonely residents who are usually unresponsive to those around them. Mentally disturbed, handicapped, and autistic children have received therapeutic benefits from touching and caring for a variety of animals, including horses and dolphins as well as household pets. Residential treatment programs for such children often involve some animal care. Also, a study at the Mayo Clinic found that cancer patients who were offered a companion cat while undergoing chemotherapy suffered fewer adverse side effects than patients who did not have an animal.

Prison rehabilitation programs sometimes include one-to-one involvement with an animal, during which participants may recall pleasures of childhood or enjoy for the first time a childhood pleasure they never had. Pediatricians have found that when there's a cat or dog in their office, children find a visit less threatening and are easier to examine. Dentists have noted that the presence of an aquarium in the waiting room eases the tension of anxious patients. Teachers often use animals to foster a sense of responsibility among young children.

How Pet Therapy Works

Every pet owner understands the rewards of having an animal that gives unconditional affection. But no one has yet explained why the companionship of a pet reduces heart rate and lowers blood pressure, or why elderly people who own pets make fewer visits to their doctor than those who don't. Numerous scientific studies have shown that pet owners also recover from surgery faster and survive a heart attack longer than those without pets. Some observers have noted that people who love their pets generally take better care of their own health because the animals depend upon them.

What to Expect

Pet therapy takes many forms. Physically abused children, given the care of farm animals, may learn to express love for them which they themselves have not received. For a house-bound older person, the playful antics of a kitten or the purr of a contented cat might be a comforting distraction from pain. Dog owners can enjoy the health benefits of a daily walk and social interaction with other dog owners.

In a program at an upstate New York center for disturbed children, youngsters are allowed to care for injured wildlife and then release the animals to the wild after they have recovered. Dr. Samuel B. Ross, the initiator of this program, observed that: "It's an especially powerful experience for these kids who are, in a sense, wounded themselves. If you take care of a disabled animal and see that it can survive, then you get the feeling that you can survive yourself."