PET THERAPY

Nicole Correa
 What is Pet Therapy??
- Pet Therapy provides support and comfort
- Pet Therapy is a compliment to regular therapy with the goals
of the sessions to be physical, mental, emotional, or social.
(Dewitt, 2019)
- Dogs have an instinct for sniffing out what people need
(Marcus, 2017, p.113)
- Dogs sniff out cancer, skin cancer, and death.
- Cancer cells produce proteins and chemicals that are
different from those made by normal cells in the body.
We do not notice any small change but dogs can sniff
the difference in the chemical changes. (Marcus, 2017,
p. 101)
- Dogs have an instinct of how to approach people who most
need their help without the help of their handler.
- Animals that can be used for pet therapy:
- Horses
- Dogs
- Cats
- Pigs
- Birds
 How this Approach helps Children
■ “Animals can provide a sense of comfort, safety, and protection.” (Dewitt, 2019)
■ Animals help children manage their emotions and help soothe themselves
■ Having a companion animal helps kids not engage in risk-taking and health-compromising behaviors.
■ Some conditions from PTSD, ADHD, or Dementia include feelings of being out of control and frightened. Support
from animals provide sense of comfort during those times
■ Pet therapy has been used in nursing homes, prisons, pediatric care, cognitive rehabilitation centers, and schools.
■ Recommended to use pet therapy when interviewing children for sexual abuse allegations. Animals help children
ease discomfort when discussing trauma. (Krause-Parello, 2015)
■ Companion animals can promote emotional regulation and prosocial behaviors, allowing them to achieve a sense
of mastery in situations over which they may have little control. (Maharaj)
■ In 2009 the American Humane Association launched an initiative called TASK Therapy Animals Supporting Kids.
The purpose of this program is to encourage professionals to incorporate therapy animals into programs such as
interviews for children who have been abused, neglected, or witnessed violence. (Krause-Parello, 2015)
■ Animal Therapy helps:
– Helps improve trust -Helps with self-esteem
– Facilitate communication -Socialization
– Self-regulation -Mood stabilization
■
What DO I like About This Approach
I like that animals can provide affection, loyalty, and unconditional love for not only kids but everyone.
■ Animals can alleviate loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression. (Maharaj, 2016)
■ Just by being in the presence of an animal it can produce a calming effect, provide a welcome distraction, promote relaxation, and lower blood
pressure.
■ Dogs look out for you and you should look out for them as well. Dogs get stressed just like humans these are some of the things to look out for:
– Body: When relaxed body is normal when stressed body may tremble/shake, back out of his collar, or begin scratching at collar
– Breathing: Relaxed dog will have a steady breathing pattern when stressed will begin panting with shallow and quicker breaths
– Ears: When relaxed dogs ears will be soft regardless if ears stay up or hang down but when stressed the ears are pulled back flat to the
head or pulled tight with wrinkles on the forehead (Palika, 2013, p. 117-118)
■ A study down in Taiwan looked at the impact of weekly dog therapy visits for patients with schizophrenia compared to patients who did not get the
dog therapy. (Marcus, 2017, p.116)
– The patients who saw the dogs weekly developed better self-esteem at 62%, and self-determination, as well as had fewer psychiatric
symptoms.
– The patients who did not see the dogs at all their self-esteem was at a 59% and a slight worsening of psychiatric symptoms.
■ Dogs make a great buddy to work out with especially in physical therapy. Most patients lack the motivation to start again. Dogs give patients a
sense of hope and get them to start moving again so they can have full mobility to walk a dog that is always happy to see them.
■ Over half of the participants in a study listed the same reasons for having a pet (Marcus, 2017, p. 116)
– Companionship -Sense of purpose
– Stress relief -Helping to establish a routine
– Social support -Exercise
■
Activity
When you first saw Luna what did you feel?
– Happy
– Your heart jumping because a dog is in class
■ What do you feel when you pet Luna?
– Is she soft
– Did she make you smile
– Is she so cute that you want to squeeze her
– Do you want to take her home with you (sorry she’s mine)
■ What were you thinking about before seeing Luna? Were you worried about something? Did she
change your mind or take any worries away?
■ Did giving Luna a treat make you happy?
■ What do you think dogs are good for?
■ Was class better because a dog was there?
■ Do you know what chemicals were released when petting a dog?
– Serotonin
– Dopamine
– Oxytocin
– Adrenaline
 References
Dimolareva, M., & Dunn, T. J. (2021). Animal-Assisted Interventions for School-Aged Children
with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Autism & Developmental
Disorders, 51(7), 2436–2449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04715-w
Maharaj, N. (2016). Companion Animals and Vulnerable Youth: Promoting Engagement
between Youth and Professional Service Providers. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 21(4), 335–
343. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2015.1084857
Dewitt, S. (2019, April 9). What is animal therapy? BetterHelp. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/therapy/what-is-animal-therapy/.
Krause-Parello, C. A., & Gulick, E. E. (2015). Forensic Interviews for Child Sexual Abuse
Allegations: An Investigation into the Effects of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Stress
Biomarkers. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(8), 873–886.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2015.1088916
Marcus, D. A. (2017). The power of wagging tails: A doctor's guide to dog therapy and healing.
ReadHowYouWant.
Palika, L. (2013). Love on a leash: A guide to pet therapy. Sunbelt Publications, Incorporated.