Hi Friends!
A
widely known belief is that a writer must have a muse as a source for
inspiration. During the past 15-plus years I have been involved in pet
therapy, I have so many muses and remarkable people inspiring me to put
pen in hand for sharing their stories of how pets have made a difference
in brightening the world in which they live. It is through being moved
by the many smiles produced on the beautiful faces I have seen, I began
documenting the experiences and conducting research over the comfort
and healing effects animals give.
Before
I begin to share the stories of others, I would like to share my own personal experiences. You see, I am
convinced that I would be crushed, damaged and scarred beyond repair had
I not had Dudley and Sing-Sing in my life
. At the risk of sounding
trite, the rain and clouds quickly disappear while every day seems sunny
because of my birds Dudley and Sing-Sing. I have more pep in my step
and much greater vitality, joy and hope.
And
now, this leads me to telling a few tales of just a few of the many
people I know having been touched by their pets. When Barbara D. is so
down she can’t get out of bed, her 14-year-old Himalayan cat, Elmo,
literally gets in her face.
“He will walk up, in a very pushy way you can’t ignore,” says Barbara, 54. “He’ll stick his face right into my face like, ‘Here I am—don’t forget about me. I need you.’ It pulls me out of my depressed thinking.”
What’s most amazing about Elmo’s behavior is that the feline is usually aloof. He only gets physical when his owner becomes immobilized by the depression she has experienced for more than 30 years.
Barbara also shares her apartment with Phoebe, a joyful Yorkshire terrier. The little dog jumps on her lap to be petted, then licks her face, hands and arms. Since bringing Phoebe home two years ago, Barbara has reduced her psychotherapy appointments from weekly to monthly. She credits “the emotional support—the love and affection” Phoebe gives her.
“It cuts down on some of the loneliness,” Barbara explains.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the company of a pet can help people who are living with depression. Maybe it’s because cats, dogs and other companion creatures offer unlimited affection and nonjudgmental companionship. They lift our spirits and lower our stress. They counteract symptoms such as isolation, rumination and lethargy.
“All people report feeling less lonely in the presence of animals,” says Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “Animals are good for everyone, but particularly for anxious and depressed people.”
For one thing, pets keep us anchored in the present and distract us from negative or anxious thoughts, says Beck.
“If you can focus on the present in positive ways, it makes you less anxious,” he says. “Much anxiety and depression comes from the thoughts of past or future that you are worried about.”
For another thing, caring for another creature bolsters self-esteem and provides purpose and a sense of being needed. Bonnie R., 36, has recurring anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. No matter how bad she may be feeling, she pulls through for her little cockatiel, Patches, who has chronic liver disease.
“Even if I don’t feel well, I have to get up to feed him and give him his meds twice a day,” she reports.
In fact, “building self-empowerment” is one of four ways pets assist in recovery from serious mental illness, according to a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
Jennifer P. Wisdom, PhD, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and her colleagues surveyed 177 individuals with mental illness to determine what factors affect the recovery process. For pet owners, the researchers concluded, companion animals not only boost self-esteem, but also provide empathy, initiate social encounters and serve as substitute or additional family members.
Scientists are still trying to figure out why animals affect us so powerfully. It may be that communing with a pet exercises our emotional muscles, so to speak.
“Our relationship with animals brings intrinsic rewards, separate from those we have with people,” says Leslie Irvine, PhD, associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and author of If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection With Animals (Temple University Press, 2004). “They stretch our emotional capacities. We can’t tell animals we love them, so we have to communicate through touch, eye contact, and other nonverbal [means].”
Many pet owners speak of the unconditional love their pets shower so generously upon them—the cat purring by your computer, the dog that enthusiastically bounds to meet you at the door even if you’re returning from a five-minute errand.
“They are not going to say your hair isn’t pretty enough, or your clothes aren’t nice enough,” notes Barbara D..
For people who tend to self-isolate, have social anxiety, or are simply shy, having a pooch along can be an ice breaker. In a 2000 study conducted by researchers at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, 65 strangers stopped to speak with a man or woman out walking a dog, while only three people stopped to talk to that same person walking alone.
“If you are out walking your dog, you are considered more approachable,” explains Irvine, who lives with two cats and a dog.
She sees a similar effect even through images decorating her clothes: “Whenever I wear cat socks or T-shirts or earrings, it always starts up conversations.”
Barbara says she now knows many of her neighbors thanks to Phoebe the flirt—including some who assumed she’d just moved in.
“When Phoebe meets a neighbor, her little tail starts wagging. She starts acting like they are her favorite person in the world,” Barbara explains. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t know anyone in the building.”
Having to walk the dog also guarantees that you’ll get out for daily exercise, no matter what your mood. Studies show that dog owners do walk more frequently. The benefits of regular exercise are well-documented, including cardiovascular fitness, mental alertness, weight control and improved sleep quality. And walking at a brisk pace will release endorphins, which can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Apart from the exercise factor, there is growing evidence that people who live with animals have lower blood pressure and heart rates and decreased levels of cortisol—known as the “stress hormone.”
“Just petting a dog, or even looking at fish, gives you a relaxation response,” explains Alan Beck.
Bonnie R. says Patches, her cockatiel, somehow knows when she’s upset and will fly across the room, sit alongside her and begin chirping.
“He’ll cock his head down so I can rub his head,” Bonnie says, “which calms both of us.”
Stroking and touching an animal has “a calming effect,” agrees Irvine, adding, “We don’t know exactly how this works.”
Cheryl Krause-Parello’s research supports the theory that being around animals combats stress and reduces anxiety by lowering our cortisol.
“When you’re anxious, your cortisol level kicks in,” explains Krause-Parello, RN, an associate professor and director of the Center for Nursing Research at Kean University in Union, New Jersey—and the owner of two dachshunds.
In one recent study, she compared pet owners with individuals who did not own pets. Each group spent 20 minutes with Autumn, a trained therapy dog. The pet owners had lower levels of cortisol overall, but members of the other group experienced a significant drop in cortisol levels after their visit with Autumn.
Joseph Lancia, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has his own theory for why being around animals helps us feel better. When we bond with another creature, he says, “it connects us to nature in a deeper sense, which so many people find healing. The more we move away from nature, the more we feel distressed.”
Lancia raises Arabian horses and practices equine-assisted therapy at his farm in Hilton, New York. There’s no riding involved; instead, Lancia assigns patients an exercise, such as getting a horse to jump over an obstacle or stand still on a tarp, then observes the interaction to gain insights that will be useful in his therapy sessions.
“Is the person focusing on the task, or on how the horse is feeling, or is there some balance between the two?” he says. “Just stepping into a pasture with a 1,200-pound animal is a metaphor for overcoming the fears in your life.”
The literature on animal-assisted therapy dates back to 1962, with researchers concluding that having a dog, cat, rabbit or horse present during counseling helps engage the client, reduce anxiety and create a sense of safety that is vital to the emotional work of therapy. The practice has gained wide acceptance; for example, the counseling center at Utah State University has been using dogs in individual and group therapy sessions since 1997.
Maggie, a mixed-breed dog owned by Jason E. Mihalko, PhD, seems to make the Boston psychologist’s clients feel welcome, safe and understood.
“She goes out and wags her tail,” he says. “Then, she’ll poke them in the back of the knee with her cold nose and herd them into the office. It’s a nice way to say hello to someone.”
During therapy sessions, Maggie provides comic relief by licking clients, bringing them toys or stealing choice items from a purse.
“I had someone tell me, ‘I picked you because I wanted to have a dog to pet when I’m scared.’ Sometimes I wonder if people come to see me or Maggie,” he jokes.
More importantly, the dog somehow detects when a client is becoming upset—before either human realizes it.
“When clients are having difficulty speaking about a traumatic experience or emotion, Maggie will come over, place her paws on the person’s shoulder and nuzzle them,” says Mihalko. The psychologist has learned to take that as his cue to ask, “Are you feeling sad about something and don’t know how to say it?”
“Without fail, clients have started to cry and disclose something important,” says Mihalko. “Maggie has the ability to be connected in ways I don’t understand.”
Numerous small-scale studies suggest that even brief visits with a pet improve psychological well-being for residents of nursing homes, hospitals and jails.
The residents at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore include fish, cats and birds. Several dogs drop by during the week to spend time with the human residents—including a soulful-eyed dachshund named Brutus. “If we have a patient who is very anxious and won’t cooperate with therapy, we take Brutus as an incentive,” says his owner, Beverly Carbonilla, a registered nurse. “When someone is upset, he can sit on their lap and their blood pressure comes down.”
Michael K. of Toronto sometimes brings his lovebird, Baby, along to his part-time job providing peer support at a residence for people with mental health issues.
"Baby is great at breaking the ice," says Michael, who has major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. "They all come out to hold and pet her."
On his own account, having Baby means he no longer comes home to an empty apartment.
“I [used to] feel very isolated—in my own little world. She makes me feel less alone,” says Michael, adding that his depression has eased since Baby moved in a few months ago. “As soon as I come home, she gets excited, moving from side to side. She flies to my finger or shoulder.”
The little bird sits on Michael’s shoulder when he watches his favorite TV programs. When he's at the computer, she's there pecking at the keys. And she makes him laugh by hanging upside down on her perch or sitting on his big toe as he lies in bed.
“She’ll dive inside my shirt sometimes,” he says. “I think she thinks she’s a person.”
“He will walk up, in a very pushy way you can’t ignore,” says Barbara, 54. “He’ll stick his face right into my face like, ‘Here I am—don’t forget about me. I need you.’ It pulls me out of my depressed thinking.”
What’s most amazing about Elmo’s behavior is that the feline is usually aloof. He only gets physical when his owner becomes immobilized by the depression she has experienced for more than 30 years.
Barbara also shares her apartment with Phoebe, a joyful Yorkshire terrier. The little dog jumps on her lap to be petted, then licks her face, hands and arms. Since bringing Phoebe home two years ago, Barbara has reduced her psychotherapy appointments from weekly to monthly. She credits “the emotional support—the love and affection” Phoebe gives her.
“It cuts down on some of the loneliness,” Barbara explains.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the company of a pet can help people who are living with depression. Maybe it’s because cats, dogs and other companion creatures offer unlimited affection and nonjudgmental companionship. They lift our spirits and lower our stress. They counteract symptoms such as isolation, rumination and lethargy.
“All people report feeling less lonely in the presence of animals,” says Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “Animals are good for everyone, but particularly for anxious and depressed people.”
For one thing, pets keep us anchored in the present and distract us from negative or anxious thoughts, says Beck.
“If you can focus on the present in positive ways, it makes you less anxious,” he says. “Much anxiety and depression comes from the thoughts of past or future that you are worried about.”
For another thing, caring for another creature bolsters self-esteem and provides purpose and a sense of being needed. Bonnie R., 36, has recurring anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. No matter how bad she may be feeling, she pulls through for her little cockatiel, Patches, who has chronic liver disease.
“Even if I don’t feel well, I have to get up to feed him and give him his meds twice a day,” she reports.
In fact, “building self-empowerment” is one of four ways pets assist in recovery from serious mental illness, according to a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
Jennifer P. Wisdom, PhD, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and her colleagues surveyed 177 individuals with mental illness to determine what factors affect the recovery process. For pet owners, the researchers concluded, companion animals not only boost self-esteem, but also provide empathy, initiate social encounters and serve as substitute or additional family members.
Scientists are still trying to figure out why animals affect us so powerfully. It may be that communing with a pet exercises our emotional muscles, so to speak.
“Our relationship with animals brings intrinsic rewards, separate from those we have with people,” says Leslie Irvine, PhD, associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and author of If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection With Animals (Temple University Press, 2004). “They stretch our emotional capacities. We can’t tell animals we love them, so we have to communicate through touch, eye contact, and other nonverbal [means].”
Many pet owners speak of the unconditional love their pets shower so generously upon them—the cat purring by your computer, the dog that enthusiastically bounds to meet you at the door even if you’re returning from a five-minute errand.
“They are not going to say your hair isn’t pretty enough, or your clothes aren’t nice enough,” notes Barbara D..
For people who tend to self-isolate, have social anxiety, or are simply shy, having a pooch along can be an ice breaker. In a 2000 study conducted by researchers at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, 65 strangers stopped to speak with a man or woman out walking a dog, while only three people stopped to talk to that same person walking alone.
“If you are out walking your dog, you are considered more approachable,” explains Irvine, who lives with two cats and a dog.
She sees a similar effect even through images decorating her clothes: “Whenever I wear cat socks or T-shirts or earrings, it always starts up conversations.”
Barbara says she now knows many of her neighbors thanks to Phoebe the flirt—including some who assumed she’d just moved in.
“When Phoebe meets a neighbor, her little tail starts wagging. She starts acting like they are her favorite person in the world,” Barbara explains. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t know anyone in the building.”
Having to walk the dog also guarantees that you’ll get out for daily exercise, no matter what your mood. Studies show that dog owners do walk more frequently. The benefits of regular exercise are well-documented, including cardiovascular fitness, mental alertness, weight control and improved sleep quality. And walking at a brisk pace will release endorphins, which can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Apart from the exercise factor, there is growing evidence that people who live with animals have lower blood pressure and heart rates and decreased levels of cortisol—known as the “stress hormone.”
“Just petting a dog, or even looking at fish, gives you a relaxation response,” explains Alan Beck.
Bonnie R. says Patches, her cockatiel, somehow knows when she’s upset and will fly across the room, sit alongside her and begin chirping.
“He’ll cock his head down so I can rub his head,” Bonnie says, “which calms both of us.”
Stroking and touching an animal has “a calming effect,” agrees Irvine, adding, “We don’t know exactly how this works.”
Cheryl Krause-Parello’s research supports the theory that being around animals combats stress and reduces anxiety by lowering our cortisol.
“When you’re anxious, your cortisol level kicks in,” explains Krause-Parello, RN, an associate professor and director of the Center for Nursing Research at Kean University in Union, New Jersey—and the owner of two dachshunds.
In one recent study, she compared pet owners with individuals who did not own pets. Each group spent 20 minutes with Autumn, a trained therapy dog. The pet owners had lower levels of cortisol overall, but members of the other group experienced a significant drop in cortisol levels after their visit with Autumn.
Joseph Lancia, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has his own theory for why being around animals helps us feel better. When we bond with another creature, he says, “it connects us to nature in a deeper sense, which so many people find healing. The more we move away from nature, the more we feel distressed.”
Lancia raises Arabian horses and practices equine-assisted therapy at his farm in Hilton, New York. There’s no riding involved; instead, Lancia assigns patients an exercise, such as getting a horse to jump over an obstacle or stand still on a tarp, then observes the interaction to gain insights that will be useful in his therapy sessions.
“Is the person focusing on the task, or on how the horse is feeling, or is there some balance between the two?” he says. “Just stepping into a pasture with a 1,200-pound animal is a metaphor for overcoming the fears in your life.”
The literature on animal-assisted therapy dates back to 1962, with researchers concluding that having a dog, cat, rabbit or horse present during counseling helps engage the client, reduce anxiety and create a sense of safety that is vital to the emotional work of therapy. The practice has gained wide acceptance; for example, the counseling center at Utah State University has been using dogs in individual and group therapy sessions since 1997.
Maggie, a mixed-breed dog owned by Jason E. Mihalko, PhD, seems to make the Boston psychologist’s clients feel welcome, safe and understood.
“She goes out and wags her tail,” he says. “Then, she’ll poke them in the back of the knee with her cold nose and herd them into the office. It’s a nice way to say hello to someone.”
During therapy sessions, Maggie provides comic relief by licking clients, bringing them toys or stealing choice items from a purse.
“I had someone tell me, ‘I picked you because I wanted to have a dog to pet when I’m scared.’ Sometimes I wonder if people come to see me or Maggie,” he jokes.
More importantly, the dog somehow detects when a client is becoming upset—before either human realizes it.
“When clients are having difficulty speaking about a traumatic experience or emotion, Maggie will come over, place her paws on the person’s shoulder and nuzzle them,” says Mihalko. The psychologist has learned to take that as his cue to ask, “Are you feeling sad about something and don’t know how to say it?”
“Without fail, clients have started to cry and disclose something important,” says Mihalko. “Maggie has the ability to be connected in ways I don’t understand.”
Numerous small-scale studies suggest that even brief visits with a pet improve psychological well-being for residents of nursing homes, hospitals and jails.
The residents at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore include fish, cats and birds. Several dogs drop by during the week to spend time with the human residents—including a soulful-eyed dachshund named Brutus. “If we have a patient who is very anxious and won’t cooperate with therapy, we take Brutus as an incentive,” says his owner, Beverly Carbonilla, a registered nurse. “When someone is upset, he can sit on their lap and their blood pressure comes down.”
Michael K. of Toronto sometimes brings his lovebird, Baby, along to his part-time job providing peer support at a residence for people with mental health issues.
"Baby is great at breaking the ice," says Michael, who has major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. "They all come out to hold and pet her."
On his own account, having Baby means he no longer comes home to an empty apartment.
“I [used to] feel very isolated—in my own little world. She makes me feel less alone,” says Michael, adding that his depression has eased since Baby moved in a few months ago. “As soon as I come home, she gets excited, moving from side to side. She flies to my finger or shoulder.”
The little bird sits on Michael’s shoulder when he watches his favorite TV programs. When he's at the computer, she's there pecking at the keys. And she makes him laugh by hanging upside down on her perch or sitting on his big toe as he lies in bed.
“She’ll dive inside my shirt sometimes,” he says. “I think she thinks she’s a person.”
Borrow the benefits
If owning a pet just isn’t your thing, or if severe depression
makes it difficult for you to care for another creature, there are other
ways to reap the mental-health benefits of being around animals. Alan
Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue
University, has these suggestions:
Visit a zoo. Farms that open their barns to visitors and even petting zoos can also be an entrée into the animal world.
Put up a birdfeeder in your backyard or outside your apartment window. You could also get out to a park to enjoy birds, chipmunks and other critters in their natural setting.
Set up a home aquarium. It may take a little work to get the pH levels balanced, but an established fish tank is fairly easy to maintain.
Visit a zoo. Farms that open their barns to visitors and even petting zoos can also be an entrée into the animal world.
Put up a birdfeeder in your backyard or outside your apartment window. You could also get out to a park to enjoy birds, chipmunks and other critters in their natural setting.
Set up a home aquarium. It may take a little work to get the pH levels balanced, but an established fish tank is fairly easy to maintain.
Volunteer at an animal shelter. This is a win-win-win. The shelter gets extra hands to groom, play with or clean up after their charges; you get the feel-good effects of being around animals, and the abandoned pets benefit from your attention.
My hope and prayer is for everyone to be able to reap the many benefits of having a bond and close relationship with animal companions.
Thank you for your friendship and support.
Warmly,
Paul
Paul F. Flotron
Creature Comforts Great & Small, LLC
"Giving your creatures the comfort they deserve"
www.CreatureComfortsGreatnSmall.com
314-200-8561
Cell: 314-775-7107
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