WHAT IS PET THERAPY? 

  Pet Therapy, or “Animal Assisted Therapy,” involves the use of a specific animal as part of an individual’s therapeutic treatment. It is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional and /or cognitive functioning of a patient as well as providing motivational effectiveness. 

  Pet Therapy can be provided on an individual or group basis; documentation of individual progress should be made by a trained therapist. Pet Therapy is often identified as appropriate for autism spectrum disorders, social anxiety, rehabilitation of medical and psycho-social disorders and dementia related disorders. It is also useful as a strategy for learning disabilities. 

NARRATIVE A. SUPPORT, MAINTENANCE AND EMPOWERMENT 

  Mrs. A is beginning to lose her ability to communicate coherently in any one of the 5 languages she speaks. When she lapses into her early childhood language of Hungarian, she screams in terror. In Hebrew she is relaxed and in control. English mediates between pleas for help in finding her lost younger brother and conversing casually about events around her, occasionally,(rarely)with other residents of her floor. 

  Mrs. A. born in Hungary, was a child survivor of the Holocaust. She was separated from her younger brother, who her parents had asked her to take care of- he was never found. After the war, she was interned without family in a British DP Camp. The Camp was broken into by the Mossad Aliyah Bet, and she was smuggled into what was then Palestine. There she learned Hebrew, and with assistance made a home for herself, married, had children and ALWAYS HAD LITTLE DOGS. At some point, the family came to Canada. 

  Today she is shrieking and crying in Hungarian. Dolly the Shiba Inu curls up in her lap and the shrieking stops. She asks where Dolly is from. And begins to stroke her. Then cries again. Then switches to Hebrew and croons to Dolly as the dog cuddles closer. In English, she asks for help in finding her brother. Is the dog here for that.? 

  Dolly jumps off her bed and stares at Mrs. A. intensely. Mrs. A. gets out of bed, pats Dolly and asks about her breed and begins to talk about Mutzi her first little white dog. She switches to Hebrew, and converses about Haifa where she lived. Dolly accompanies her as she walks down the hall, but does not leave her until she is seated, and interacting with a nurse or caregiver. 

  Mrs. A.’s dementia places her back in the middle of the Holocaust and burdens her deeply with survivors’ guilt. Dolly’s presence comforts her, refocuses her attention, shifts her back into her “Happy languages”(English, Hebrew and French)and allows her to demonstrate her knowledge of dog training to me, and to the other residents and staff as she describes how she would train her own animals. 

  Dolly never leaves her until she is relaxed and chatting. And now, she occasionally shows other residents how to pat a dog. As a former dog owner, she also grooms Dolly with either a brush or a specialized Hound Mitt. 

NARRATIVE B. SUPPORT 

  Mme. B. never leaves her room without assistance; she holds a phone tightly in her lap waiting all day for her evening phone call. Her wheelchair is large and imposing with a tray attached that is a barrier to physical contact and is rarely removed. Her beautiful, delicate hands are so twisted with arthritis it is a wonder that she can hold anything at all. 

  When she was a little girl, she briefly had a dog named Nikki. It was white with a curly tail. A search through a Dog magazine identifies the dog as an American Eskimo that looks like Dolly except for coloration. 

  Dolly sits on her lap after the tray is removed and Mme.’s hands slowly reach out for Dolly’s warm back, then fingers even more slowly uncurl as she combs through Dolly’s lush undercoat with her fingertips. A small smile curls her lips upward, her eyes close and for a few minutes, she is with Nikki. Her breathing is deep. After a while, she says “Thank you.” Dolly is removed and the phone is replaced. If there is time we will repeat our visit after we have finished Dolly’s other visits. 

  Mme. B is low functioning both physically and cognitively. For the 15 or so minutes that Dolly is in her lap she communicates with “Nikki,” and tells her things that I cannot hear. Dolly keeps her secrets and although she is not ordinarily a kissing dog, she kisses Mme.B, and moves around to ensure that Mme.’s hands are always somewhere on her body. Although Dolly is afraid of heights, when sitting high up on the wheelchair, she neither whimpers nor whines, and will gently nudge Mme.s hands occasionally. 

  Dolly provides a respite from loneliness and pain and an opportunity to remember something that once gave Mme. great pleasure as a child. Dolly loves children, no matter how old they really are. 

NARRATIVE C. SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE-AND CLARK GABLE TOO! 

  Mr. C never lived without a pet. Life is bad enough in a wheelchair, without the use of one side of his body and an inability to speak clearly. But there are compensations-women love him, and every dog makes a bee-line to him; he’s going to regrow the mustache he had when he was younger. Oh, and he gets to have a computer, and someone keeps giving him dog magazines and this neat little dog stays next to his wheelchair and makes him stretch his good arm down to her to pat him. If he gives up, she turns her back to him. 

  He can actually say her name pretty clearly “Dolly!” and she trots over so that he can reach down and pat her.

  ‘It's very warm on the floor, and Dolly frequently pants. One day a nurse asked if she was a nervous dog. “No” said Mr. C. and he picked up his water cup and panted. Are you thirsty? In frustration, he looked at Dolly, held his cup as close to her as he could and gave her a drink. The nurse just wasn’t bright enough to understand, so he took his finger and pointed to Dolly. Still not getting it? He looked at Dolly’s handler and panted. “Sure is thirsty, Mr. C., but she only wants your cup.” “OK” he said. And handed it to the nurse. Who handed it back to him. He then gave it to Dolly’s handler. Who gave him Dolly’s leash to hold in his good hand ….and filled up the cup. 

  “UMpf,” he snorted reaching down hard to pat Dolly, “Fw r wp.” Recently, Mr. C. was allowed to grow a moustache. Dolly enjoyed sniffing this moustache, as occasionally, it was filled with the aroma of a recently eaten meal. When asked what Dolly was doing to his moustache, Mr. C. grinned and said “Clarke Gable.” (It took a while to figure this out) Then he added “Mooie Tar.” 

  Dolly’s handler breaks one cardinal rule of Pet therapy according to local therapy organizations-she lets Mr. C. hold Dolly’s lead in his strong hand an backs away for a few minutes, as Mr. C. moves his wheelchair forward with one foot and takes Dolly for a walk. 

  Dolly the Shiba Inu works as a Therapy Dog on the Dementia floor of an Ottawa Seniors Long Term Care Facility. While there is no single breed that is outstanding as a Therapy Dog, the Shiba Inu presents an appearance that always elicits some kind of verbal response from residents ranging from ”is that a puppy?” to “she’s walking a fox!” Often she has a wagon train of wheelchairs and walkers following her; sometimes residents will range themselves around her in a circle and she will move from one to the other. Some call out her name, some beckon. Some bellow. 

NARRATIVE D. THE SOUND OF MUSIC 

  Mrs. D. sings to everyone, unless she is speaking the language that no visitor understands. Most of the times, she wheels herself around the floor singing if she meets someone. Sometimes, she hangs back from the other residents and looks down at he feet. 

  One day she looked down at her feet and saw Dolly looking up at her. She laughed! Dolly laughed back at her. She sang to Dolly. No response. She tried another tune. Still, no response. She held out her hand-and Dolly came over wagging her entire body, and rubbed her head on Mrs. D.’s knees. 

  “Yeah,” said Mrs. D. “OK,” said Mrs. D. 

  “Yeah, come here.” And Dolly got the pat and stroke and scratch of a lifetime. Then they walked around the floor together while Mrs. D. sang. They then joined a group of other residents, and Mrs. D. beckoned to one of them, “Yeah, nice.” And sent Dolly, off to be patted -4- by someone else briefly. Dolly turned around after and wagged her body at Mrs. D. 

  “Yeah, OK.” And off for another walk. 

  In this way, Mrs. D. introduced Dolly to various other residents on the floor. They then retired to a picture window, with Dolly’s paws up on the ledge and Mrs. D. singing. 

  Pet therapy is usually evaluated differently, depending upon the participating individuals. A clearly defined criteria exists for the evaluation of autism spectrum disorders, as well as a clearly defined series of exercises. Goals tend to be discussed on the basis of progress. 

  Dolly’s work exists on a different plane. It is rarely progress driven, but it is always satisfaction based. Has the resident enjoyed their unique moment with Dolly? Has Mrs. A. moved temporarily out of her fear and anxiety without the benefit of more medication? 

I  s Mme.C. experiencing a small amount of joy? 

  Expectations for Pet therapy’s effectiveness are also limited by the progress and ups and downs of dementia. All of Dolly’s special friends have had days when their moods limited their interactions. 

NARRATIVE E. THE PET THERAPY HANDLER 

THERAPY DOG TRAINING 

  It should come as no surprise that the majority of volunteer handlers are retired individuals. Not only do they have the benefit of time to offer, they also have the benefit of experience; most have had more than one dog in their lifetime and most have already experienced the aging and/or loss of a parent. 

  Therapy Dog training is not highly specialized-it is an extension of the Canine Good Neighbor level of training, which includes Temperament Testing before Certification is awarded. 

  The purpose of training is to ensure that the animal is “bombproof.” It will not react unusually to visual or auditory stimulae or startle due to the movement of wheelchairs, walkers or other forms of assistive movement. The dog will not impede medical or staff personnel. Neither will the dog jump up, show aggression or resist reasonable commands/requests made by the handler. The dog is always under command, (unless these are specialized puppy visits) but relaxed. Testing allows a high degree of confidence for the handler; the certificate is a verifiable standard that the residence should be made aware exists. 

  Unlike visits made by a family dog to a known family member, to all intents and purposes, therapy dogs visiting Dementia floors are almost always forgotten by the individual resident. Therapy Dogs don’t mind-they are open to the personality of the resident NOW. They respond to the Resident as they are, not as they were. 

  Pet Therapy can run the gamut of low-functioning/sensory experiences (simple patting or observing Dolly) to maintenance of physical/cognitive skills (exercising Mr. C.’s good arm and speech). I have yet to allow a high functioning resident to “click-train” a new (or not really new) skill to Dolly. That remains a goal with the appropriate resident. One resident has expressed an interest in reading “Dogs In Canada” magazine. We will see if this resident can regain or has retained some reading skills and/ or breed recognition. 

  As often as possible, Dolly is used to encourage group interaction by providing a topic that several residents can enjoy together. So far, no fights have erupted between residents over the subject of “Who Dolly Likes Best.” However, “lively“ debates between residents about what she should be fed, how often and how much have occurred. 

  Some Dog Handlers set a specific duration of time for their visits and interactions. Some are open-ended, and are fit into the activity schedule informally. 

  My Pet Therapy revolving as it does around the immediate response of individuals does not have a set duration. When we arrive, we start our visits. If residents end up grouped together, that works. If a resident needs private time only, that is what they receive. 

  Dementia pet therapy goals should be not determined by the Therapy team (dog and Handler) but by Nursing and Recreational professionals. The Therapy Dog Team may facilitate goals (better social interaction; greater mobility…a smile…) in a fashion unique to animals. 

  When there is no real experience of knowledge of potential goals by Staff professionals (e.g..new resident; no prior experience by professional of pet therapy ) the first meeting with the resident should be made with a member of the Professional Staff present. 

  Where Professional Staff are unfamiliar with Pet Therapy, an orientation on the floor is arranged to demonstrate the efficacy of the animal’s visits. Literature is also made available. 

  The Resources that I employ for my visits are simple and inexpensive-Dog, leash, Brushes (ordinary, and glove models) and occasionally a toy. I give residents who are familiar with dogs, my monthly “Dogs In Canada “ issues as the pictures are easy to see and their meaning is self evident, or else we talk about the pictures. 

  I have in the past been asked to split my visits between the Dementia floor and the “Regular” floor. I believe that the need is greater for Dementia patients whose recreational activities are much more limited by simple definition. 

  I chose this activity because it is immediate and usually non-threatening to residents; in addition they may accept or refuse a visit. It is always their choice. Neither can it cause feelings of inadequacy. 

  I also use Dolly as a means of opening up interactions with Residents. Where I have referred to myself as “Handler” indicates a resident to whom I am occasionally invisible (which is fine) whereas Dolly never is invisible. 

  The preparation required is minimal-other than a walk around the building to relieve Dolly from the stress of driving, a Therapy Dog’s most important preparation is her training which is already learned or in progress and her temperament with which she is born. 

  How do I evaluate whether Dolly has been successful? I will let you judge that.

  Would you like to meet my little Dog?