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The healing power of pets: a look at animal-assisted therapy

Article in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine · August 1997

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 Larry Dossey, MD. “The Healing Power of Pets: A Look at Animal-Assisted
Therapy.” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 1997;3(4):8-16.

Going to the Dogs:

THE HEALING POWER OF PETS

“A small pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick...."

— Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) 1

O ver 2,000 therapy programs throughout the United States are going to
the dogs -- four-legged therapists with gorgeous fur coats, enviable
bedside manners, and cold noses. Among them are Barlow, the
"hospice dog" at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, OH, and
Pandora, who makes rounds in the critical care unit at Maine Medical Center
in Portland. There are also Max, Derby, Jake, and Kelly, who are part of the
animal-assisted therapy program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Their owners bring them once a week to interact with patients like
Marquette Buie, a young man who is recovering from gunshot wounds that
left him quadriplegic in 1994. "When I was hurting and thought I couldn't
go on," he says, "I'd come to see these dogs." Giving them verbal
commands helped him regain the use of his voice, and tossing a rubber ball
in a game of fetch helped him learn to use his right arm, hand, and fingers.2

PETS AS STRESS REDUCERS

1
 The capacity of pets to reduce stress and lower blood pressure has
long been known.3
Aaron Katcher, a physician at the University of Pennsylvania School
of Veterinary Medicine, and his colleagues measured the blood pressures of
dog owners while they were reading an uninteresting text, then while they
were vigorously greeting their pets with pats, strokes, and words. The
subjects' blood pressures were significantly lower during the greeting than
during the reading. Similarly, when individuals in a veterinary clinic
consulting room were talking to their pets, they had lower blood pressures
than when talking to the experimenter. Katcher's team also found that if
people gazed into a tankful of tropical fish, it lowered their blood pressure,
,
particularly if it was high to begin with.3 (p 223) 4 ,5 ,6
In 1991, psychologists Karen M. Allen and James J. Blascovich, of
the State University of New York at Buffalo, explored the calming influence
of dogs among 45 women facing a standard psychology-lab challenge --
performing mental arithmetic. All the women described themselves as dog
lovers and owned dogs. In the intial sesson, the participants sat with a
female researcher and rapidly counted backwards from a four-digit number
by threes for two minutes while their blood pressure, pulse rate, and
electrical skin conductance were measured. After a break, they repeated the
exercise, counting backwards from a new number by sevens. As expected,
the mental arithmetic caused consistent increases in the physical indicators
of stress.
Two weeks later the 45 women were challenged with a more difficult
task -- counting backwards by 13s and 17s, this time in their home. They
were randomly assigned to perform the tasks in the company of only the
researcher or with the addition of either their dog or their closest female
friend. With their dog at their feet, the physical stress indicators changed
little from a pre-test rest period earlier the same day. If only the
experimenter was sitting nearby, moderate increases were seen. The
presence of a female friend boosted the stress measures dramatically.
The women apparently perceived their dogs as less threatening than
either the experimenter or a female friend. The Buffalo psychologists
suggest that having a human friend close by while attempting some stressful
tasks heightens the body's stress response. Dogs, in contrast, by providing
unconditional support without evaluating their masters' performance, appear
to keep stress reactions "on a short leash."7
Allen and Blascovich insist, however, that pets aren't for everyone.
Blascovich has no pets because he finds them more troublesome than

2
pleasurable. Some people are simply indifferent to or uncomfortable around
animals. For such individuals, it's likely that pets offer no buffer to stress,
and just might increase it.

PET OWNERSHIP AND THE SURVIVAL OF HEART DISEASE

One of the most celebrated "pet studies" was a 1980 report showing a
significant association between pet ownership and one-year survival in
patients hospitalized with coronary heart disease includiing heart attack,
even after accounting for individual differences in the extent of heart
damage and other medical problems.8 Erika Friedmann of the University of
Pennsylvania and her co-workers, who performed this study, also found that
having a pet at home was a stronger predictor of survival than having a
spouse or extensive family support.

DO ANIMALS CARE?

I think that dogs are the most amazing creatures;

they give unconditional love. For me they are
the role model for being alive.
--GILDA RADNER 9

The extent to which animals respond to humans in need is simply

stunning.
Binti Jua, an eight-year-old Western lowland gorilla with a baby on
her back, grabbed headlines around the world when she rescued a three-
year-old boy who fell twenty feet into the gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield
Zoo in suburban Chicago, landing on his head. Heading off another gorilla,
Binti picked up the child, cradled him in her arms, and placed him near a
door where zookeepers could retrieve him. They sprayed water on the other
gorillas to keep them away. The boy was admitted in critical condition to
the Loyola University medical center, but was released within a week. Binti
had been given stuffed, ape-like dolls to play with in preparation for the
birth of her child, Koola. Melinda Pruett-Jones, curator of the gorilla
department at the Brookfield Zoo, said, "There have been other instances
where gorillas have shown maternal behavior to humans" (Victoria, British
Columbia, Times-Colonist, 22 August, 1996).

3
 Was Binti simply responding to blind biological instincts when she
rescued the helpless child? Are we romanticizing animals to believe they
really care about human welfare?
Commander David Blunt, who was Cultivation Protector for
Tanganyika, described how a native woman placed her baby in the shade of
a tree while she worked. Suddenly there was a crash in the brush as a herd
of elephants passed by. When they reached the baby, they stopped. Two or
three of the elephants began to pull branches from the tree and gently
covered the baby with the foliage, being careful not to wake it. Then they
moved off. The purpose of their action, Blunt believed, was to protect the
infant from flies as it slept.10
Not only do animals care for humans, they often appear to grieve
when they are separated from the humans they love. When Auld Jock, a
poor shepherd, died in 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars churchyard in
Edinburgh, his Skye terrier, Bobby, would not leave his grave. The little
dog endeared himself to everyone and become widely known. People
brought him food, and the children would play games with him, but nothing
could lure him away from the grave for good. Every night, without
exception, Bobby returned to the site of his master's burial, in wind, rain, or
snow. When he died after fourteen years of devotion, a fountain with a
statue was erected in his memory. "Edinburg has many statues, but this
fountain commemorating the memory of Greyfriars Bobby, the faithful
terrier who watched over his master's grave until his own death many years
later, is still a loved and revered landmark, esteemed more highly than
statues erected to the famous." 10(p 87)
Severinus, a citizen of Pompeii, was saved on three separate occasions
by his dog, Delta. Once the dog had prevented his master from drowning by
dragging him from the sea; on another occassion Delta had driven off
robbers; and in a sacred grove near Herculaneum, dedicated to the goddess
Diana, he had saved Severinus from an attack by a she-wolf. All this we
know from the inscription on the collar of Delta, which was found on the
dog's skeleton when Pompeii was excavated. Delta's final act of heroism
came on August 25, 79 CE, with the eruption of Vesuvius. The dog
apparently stretched itself over the body of a young boy, presumably the son
of Severinus, in an apparent attempt to protect him from the lethal hot ash
that rained down on the city. Nearly two millenia later, archeologists found
Delta's skeleton in this
position.10(p 84-5)
Napoleon, in his Italian campaign of 1796, strolled through a bloody
battlefield in "the deep silence of night." Suddenly a dog leaped from the

4
body of its dead master toward Napoleon, then retreated to lick the hand of
the dead man, howling pitifully. The dog repeated the action over and over --
rushing toward Napoleon and retreating to his slain master. This
unbreakable link between the dog and the dead soldier moved Napoleon
deeply. "No incident on any field of battle," he wrote, "ever produced so
deep an impression on me. I involuntarily contemplated the scene. This
man, thought I, had friends in his camp, or in his company; and now he lies
forsaken by all except his dog! What a lesson nature here presents through
the medium of an animal!" 10(p 88)
When animals come to the aid of humans in distress, they often
appear to invoke ways of knowing that currently defy explanation. Consider
the events surrounding the disappearance in 1983 of Oscar Simonet, a three-
year-old boy, from a picnic with his family along the rugged coast of
Minorca. The frantic family presumed he had fallen off a rugged cliff. For
thirty hours search parties combed the area, and frogmen probed nearby
inlets, to no avail. The search effort was organized by Jose Tadeo, the
mayor of Villacarlos, the closest town. When the mayor returned to his
house following the futile efforts, his Irish setter, Harpo, behaved strangely.
Normally calm and obedient, he would not let Tadeo relax, but kept
runnning to the front door and whining, as if he wanted to go outside. The
mayor responded and followed as the dog led him toward the spot where the
little boy had disappeared. Harpo stopped at a crevice hidden by
underbrush, which the searchers had passed many times. Tadeo crashed
through the tangled vegetation to find Oscar semi-conscious. He had
crawled into the undergrowth, fallen into the three-foot crevice, and hit his
head on a rock. How did Harpo know the boy was missing? He was two
miles away when the boy disappeared. How did he know the exact spot?
Was this a "funny coincidence"? 10(p 13-4)

If so, there are a lot of them. Such as the day in 1980 when 82-year-
old Miss Rachel Flynn took her customary walk on Cape Cod and fell off a
30-foot cliff onto a lonely beach. Too badly hurt to move, she thought she
would die. Lying trapped between boulders, she saw a seagull hovering
over her. She remembered that she and her sister had regularly fed a gull at
their home, which they named Nancy. Could this be the same bird? Acting
on a long shot, Miss Flynn cried, "For God's sake, Nancy, get help."
The gull flew off toward her home, a mile away, where June, here
sister, was working in the kitchen. June described later that she was irritated
by a seagull that began tapping on the windowpane withs its beak and
flapping its wings, "making more noise than a wild turkey." She could not
shoo it away. After fifteen minutes of the gull's frantic behavior, it occurred

5
to June that the wild bird -- it was not a pet -- might be trying to tell her
something. Going outside, she followed the bird as it flew ahead. It stopped
occasionally, as if to make sure she was following. The seagull alighted on
the cliff over which Miss Flynn had fallen. June summoned an ambulance,
which rescued her bruised and helpless sister.10(p 14)

Pets sometimes behave like physicians making house calls. When

Roz Brown, age 45, of Cambridge, England, fell into a potentially fatal
diabetic coma, Holly, her West Highland terrier, came to the rescue. Holly
fetched a bag of "jelly babies" from behind a lamp on a coffee table, tipping
two onto the floor by her nose, and then nuzzled her head to rouse her. The
sugary sweets revived Brown, who had suffered from diabetes for 38 years
(London, England, Daily Telegraph, 4 April, 1996).
Another diabetes-related case was reported by Dr. Gustav Eckstein. A
small spitz dog doubled every night as a night nurse for his mistress, who
was a diabetic. Each night the dog would curl up in the angle of the
woman's arm. He would immediately awaken and sound the alarm if her
breathing pattern changed, which is one of the telltale signs of ketoacidosis,
one of the most dreaded commplications of diabetes.11
It isn't just domestic pets who respond to humans in need. Sergeant
Cyril Jones, a Welshman now in his eighties, was parachuted in 1942 into
Sumatra in an attempt to stall the Japanese advance across Southeast Asia.
He became snagged in a tree, where he hung for twelve days, unable to cut
himself down. He would have died except for a monkey who befriended
him and brought him food. "We became very close friends and the monkey
started bringing me bananas," Jones recalled. "Sometimes he would bring
me bamboo shoots which he showed me how to eat." Jones finally managed
to free himself, but the monkey followed him and continued to bring him
fruit. When he was captured by the Japanese, the monkey followed him to
the prison camp and turned on the Japanese captors when they tried to bully
Jones. Jones' experience resulted in an affection for monkeys but an
aversion to bananas. "I was sick to death of them," he relates. "It was a long
time before I could eat them again" (London, England, Daily Telegraph, 27
August, 1996).
Donald Mottram, a Welsh farmer, owes his life to Daisy, one of his
favorite cows. When he ventured into a field to attend a calf, he noticed a
Charolais bull 300 yards away, but assumed it was shepherding the calf and
thought nothing of it. Suddenly he was hurled 30 feet in the air. When he
recovered in a daze, the bull was trampling him and kicked him
unconscious. Ninety minutes later, when he came to, his herd -- apparently
marshalled by 14-year-old Daisy, one of his favorite cows -- had surrounded

6
him while the bull could be heard stamping and bellowing. With the herd
shielding him, Mottram crawled 200 yards to the gate. He was hospitalized
for six days with broken ribs and injuries to his lungs and shoulders. "They
say cows are dumb creatures," he said later, "but I'm certain my animals
knew of the danger I was in and decided to protect me. Some of my favorite
cows were in the group -- as well as Daisy there was Megan, Amy, Bethan,
Mary and Kitty. They undoubtedly saved me from being trampled to death"
(London, England Daily Telegraph, 30 August, 1996).
The sensitivity of animals to the needs of humans occasionally defies
reason. Hugh Brady, a boy who kept pigeons as pets, once found a wounded
pigeon in the garden of his home with an aluminum band with the
identifying number 167. He nursed the bird back to health and kept him as a
pet. The following winter Hugh suddenly became ill and was rushed to a
hospital 200 miles away, where he required emergency surgery. While still
recovering, on a snowy, bitterly cold, snowy night, he heard a tapping at the
window. Hugh summoned a nurse and asked her to open the window. In
flew a pigeon "with a joyful flutter of wings on Hugh's chest." A look at the
band -- #167 -- confirmed the bird's identity. This was indeed a homing
pigeon, but he was not homing; he had followed his master to a site he'd
never been to before. How he did it remains a mystery.12

A SPIRITUAL CONNECTION?
There is in every animal's eye a dim image and a gleam of humanity, a flash of
strange light, through which their life looks at and up to our great mystery of
command over them, and claims the fellowship of the creature, if not of the soul.
-- JOHN RUSKIN 13

Aaron H. Katcher, a physician at the University of Pennsylvania

School of Veterinary Medicine, whose studies we've mentioned, suggests
that pets perhaps catalyze a spiritual component to healing. He and his
colleagues found that 98 percent of dog owners spent time talking to their
dogs, 75 percent thought their dogs were sensitive to their moods and
feelings, and 28 percent even confided to their dogs. Katcher believes
people derive benefits from these interactions not unlike those form prayer.
"Without being irreverent," he states, "it is possible to think about the
similarities of the comforts of prayer and the comforts of talking to an
animal. Prayer is frequently accompanied by sensual enrichment such as
incense, music, special body postures, the touch of folded hands or rosary
beads, just as dialogue with an animal is accompanied by the enrichment of

7
touch, warmth, and odor. In both instances the talk is felt to be 'understood.'
"14
An example is reported by Kathleen MacInnis, a primary nurse on
the cardioivascular unit, Northern Michigan Hospitals, Inc., in Petoskey,
Michigan. MacInnis relates her experience in caring for Dorothy, a young
girl who was dying. Dorothy's blood pressure was sustained by intravenous
medication and her pain was managed with frequent morphine injections.
What could the nursing staff do to make Dorothy's final hours more joyful?
They decided to bring her beloved dog, Blackie, a black Labrador, up to the
floor for a visit. Dorothy smiled at the plans but warned that Blackie was an
18-month-old, "wild and crazy teenager" who would tangle everything up,
sniffing all around. When Blackie ventured into the coronary care unit, his
nails clicking on the tiles, he seemed fascinated by all the new smells. As he
and a nurse walked down the corridor, Blackie's healing magic came alive as
people smiled at him and reached out to stroke his fur and pet him. As they
entered Dorothy's room, he took one crook-eared look at his mistress, gave
one happy sniff, and climbed in bed beside her -- burrowing in and snuffling
his way from hip to armpit as he had learned to do previously. Dorothy was
too sick to scratch his ears as she usually did. But she asked the nurses to do
so, because she knew what Blackie wanted. "As we scratched his ears,"
MacInnis says, "his eyes rolled partway back into his head in ecstasy; this
pleased Dorothy the most." Later that week Dorothy died in her sleep --
following coma, a balloon pump, a ventilator, and her visit with Blackie.
"We felt good about that," MacInnis stated, "but wondered if we had waited
too long for her to enjoy the visit, to scratch his long black furry ears. So
much -- too much -- of what medical science does for people isn't really
good for them. At least it doesn't bring them happiness. Doesn't really
comfort them. ...It seems to come down to a matter of semantics: the
difference between a dying myocardium and a broken, lonely heart. ...I
reflect on all the things I cannot change or help my patients with. But I will
remember with pride the evening Blackie spent with Dorothy. An how, in
the face of incurable disease, her broken heart was healed."15
A case demonstrating the ability of a pet to create a clinical
turnaround was that of T.S., a 39-year-old full-time writer and part-time
English professor, who was admitted to the critical care unit with fever,
generalized muscle weakness, malaise, and tenderness and swelling in both
lower extremities. The problems arose after he had begun a strenuous
physical training program a week earlier, including weightlifting and
jogging, through which he was determined to become "lean and mean." He
was suffering from acute renal failure caused by excessive physical training,

8
rhabdomyolysis, and dehydration. Shortly after being admitted,
hemodialysis was begun.
T.S. did not tolerate his hospital experience well. Following
admission he became emotionally upset and withdrawn. He had never been
sick before and wondered if he would survive. As his feelings of
desperation deepened, his mood proved contagious for his wife, who began
to take on his despair. In an effort to help him find hope and motivation, his
nurses began to think creatively about how to change things. They
discovered that one of his primary sources of joy was Mike, his three-year-
old Pug dog. When questioned, T.S. revealed deep concerns for his pet.
Mike had been a constant companion, including during his recent jogging
program. What would happen to Mike? Would he, too, get sick because
they were running together? T.S.'s nurses decided it was crucial that Mike
come for a visit, which was agreed to by the nursing and medical directors of
the treatment unit. Before Mike could enter, the Infectious Disease Team
was consulted to develop guidelines.
When Mike saw his master, he became so animated he almost
wriggled out of the arms of T.S.'s wife. The two friends visited and napped
together. One by one, the members of the nursing staff found an excuse to
come by the room to visit and chat. T.S. became visibly more relaxed and
energized. The visit was so therapeutic that the staff allowed it to become an
every-other-day event. Thirty-six days following admission, he was
discharged to return home.
Nurse-researcher Barbara Giordano, whose specialty is acute renal
failure and who reports this case, states, "The primary nurse's loving, honest,
caring human guidance facilitated the patient's movements toward insight
and balance. Nurses have many different types of therapeutic techniques at
their disposal if they give themselves permission to take a risk and be
creative."16

PETS AND THE FAMILY

Pets can help smooth relations and improve family dynamics. Ann
Ottney Cain, professor of psychiatric nursing at the University of Maryland
in Baltimore, studied the sociological impact of pets in 60 families who
owned common animals like dogs and cats as well as more exotic creatures
such as skunks, goats, and monkeys. She found that many of the families
experienced increased closeness, more time playing together, and less time
arguing after they obtained their pets. "One woman even used the family's
dog to cool family arguments," Cain reports. " 'Stop fighting, you're
upsetting the dog,' was her favorite comment." 14(p 223)

9
 Cain's informant wasn't exaggerating. "Some pets experience
physical symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach upsets, or epileptic attacks at
times of tension in the family," Cain found. Many family members describe
their pets as having "people status" in the family. In some cases of divorce,
the custody of a pet becomes a major issue. "Sometimes deciding about
children is easier than deciding about pets!"17
Pets have an uncanny ability to break down barriers between people.
Peter R. Messent of the Animal Studies Centre, Melton Mowbray,
Leicestershire, England, recruited eight dog owners and asked them to take
strolls through Hyde Park -- once with their dog and once without. An
observer followed them, recording the responses of the people who passed
within five feet of the walker or his dog. There were a significantly greater
number of respones, and more longer conversations, if the dog owner were
with their pets. It did not matter if the dogs were pedigreed or not. 14(p 222)
Pets bring out compassionate behavior in people. Sharon L. Smith, an
ethologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine
in Philadelphia, studied interactions between ten pet dogs and their family
members. She found that the pets provided men as well as women a socially
acceptable outlet for touching -- rubbing, scratching, patting or stroking --
something that American men are reluctant to engage in. 14(p 220-2)

THE DELTA SOCIETY

While dogs are the most common "therapists" involved in animal-
assisted therapy programs, a broad spectrum of creatures are involved. The
Delta Society in Renton, WA, a national non-profit society that promotes
investigations of the roles animals play in human development, encourages
the matching of animals and humans. In addition to dogs, they report the
successful use of bunnies, llamas, and pot belly pigs. Maureen Fredrickson,
deputy director of the Delta Society, says, "Because pot belly pigs are so
strikingly unusual, they capture the attention of children who have learning
disabilities."18, Note 1
LLamas? "In one of the programs, the facility had a number of
residents confined to bed but really didn't want dogs on the beds,"
Fredrickson relates. "Llamas are extremely fastidious, very quiet and very
tall, so they can come in an look down at folks." 18(p 5)
The Delta Society helps a facility custom-design an animal-assisted
program. They often do a site assessment and recommend a specific pilot
program to help everyone become comfortable with the idea of animals in a
health facility.

10
 The commonest objection is cleanliness and risk of infection.
Fredrickson states that several programs have been in place for nearly
twenty years without evidence of animal-caused infections. "We know that
over 99 percent of the health risks can be alleviated with good handwashing,
which is universal," she states. "Some of the programs are in oncology and
transplant units, but with adequate precautions, it's not an issue. Usually the
biggest barrier has been the people who scream 'Allergy!' ...Many of our
programs' visits are under an hour and animals going into acute and critical
care facilities are bathed 24 hours ahead of the visit with an allergen-
reducing product." 18(p 5)
The Delta Society maintains strict criteria for animals used in
healthcare facilities. In order to qualify, animals have to pass their boards,
so to speak. They are specifically screened and trained to make sure they
have the obedience skills and temperament to tolerate healthcare equipment,
sudden and loud noises, and a certain level of pain in case someone rolls
over their foot with a wheelchair. They are taught not to pick up a pill if it
drops on the floor and not to get near IV stands. They are given a health
screening by a veterinarian and must pass a skills and aptitude test given by
a certified animal evaluator. The animals catch on quickly. "The dogs are
energetic, but when they come into the facility they really understand why
they're there and their whole demeanor changes. They get very serious,"
says Shari Bernard, OTR, senior occupational therapist at Tyler (TX)
Rehabilitation Hospital and director of its 14-year-old Animal-Assisted
Therapy program. "The same dog may act differently toward a 13 year old
than a 98 year old. They actually adjust themselves to different diagnoses
or age groups. It's really neat to watch them progress and see how the
patients, staff and volunteers get so much enjoyment out of this program." 18(p
5)

PETS AND PHYSICAL THERAPY

Julie Miller, RN, BSN, CCRN, of Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler
(TX), volunteers her time and her dog Pita in her hospital's animal-assisted
therapy program in the occupational, physical, and speech therapy
departments. She feels that the unconditional love of dogs helps lift the
spirits of patients and encourages them to persevere in therapy. For
example, patients with stroke or injuries of the head and spine can practice
brushing a dog's hair. If they can do this, they can see that one day they will
be able to brush their own hair, Miller says. Speech-impaired patients can
improve their own vocalization by talking to a dog, naming its body parts, or
giving it commands that are clear enough for the dog to understand. Patients

11
with spinal cord injuries can improve coordination, balance, and muscle
strength by throwing a ball in a game of fetch. "It gives them a lot more
positive feedback to have the dog get the ball for them and then be able to
call the dog back with the ball," Miller explains. "It's satisfying to know
they did that." 18(p 5)
These may seem like trivial accomplishments, but the progress of many
patients in rehabilitation programs is measured in small increments.
Often, however, the response to pets cannot be measured by physical
criteria, but by hope and other intangibles. As Bernard puts it, "Many times
patients emerging from comas respond to the dogs before they even respond
to their family members. Non-responsive patients who we haven't seen
move or we're not sure can see or hear, will suddenly reach out and start
petting the dog."18(p 5)
The innate willingness of animals to meet human needs has been
dramatically illustrated in animal-assisted therapy programs around the
country. At the age of 20, B. J. was in rehabilitation after suffering from
severe electrical shock. He suffered the loss of both legs below the knee and
his left arm below the elbow. After his rehab began, he met his "soul mate"
-- Vermont, a Lab and golden retriever mix trained by Canine Companions
for Independence, an organization which breeds dogs from puppyhood to aid
the disabled. B.J. worked with several dogs before meeting Vermont, to see
which ones would mesh best with his personality. "Vermont was too
curious and frisky for some of the patients," he recalls. "But I knew that
with my one strong arm I could handle him." B.J. describes how he healed
faster physically than emotionally. "I knew I could be fairly independent
with my prostheses," he notes. "But I couldn't always explain what I was
feeling inside. With a dog...no explanations are necessary." After being
matched with B.J., Vermont can now anticipate both his commands and his
feelings. Vermont's instincts to serve are so deep that when B.J. manages
on his own, Vermont pouts and looks hurt. "Being with me and helping me
is what makes him happy," B.J. says. "Makes me happy, too."19, Note 2

PETS AND THE ELDERLY

In 1990, the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Eastern
Montgomery County, a department of Abington Memorial Hospital,
Abington, PA, began a program of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for the
elderly.20 Volunteers came mainly from local dog-training clubs and
through word of mouth. In order to participate, the dogs had to be certified
through one of several agencies, pass a health screening examination by a
veterinarian, and be interviewed by the program coordinator. The elderly

12
patients were in several senior care centers and retirement homes. The
program was a hit from the start. Typical comments were, "Boy, I think I
could fall in love again;" "The visits with the dogs helped to brighten my
day;" "For a few minutes I forgot about my problem."20(p29-30) A director of
activities at a retirement center was also enthusiastic. "They talked about
your visits for days," she said. "Our residents had smiles from ear to ear as
soon as the pets entered our lobby. There was a great deal of interaction
with the animals and a few of our residents even had tears in their eyes as
they talked about their pets." 20(p 30)
Vital signs of the elderly were measured before and after the pet
visits. There were significant decreases in the mean systolic and diastolic
blood pressure and mean pulse rate following a pet visit, but not after a visit
from a human alone.
A typical case was that of Mr. G., an 82-year-old single man who
lived at home, who was referred to the AAT program. He had lived most of
his life with his older brother and sister. Although his brother had passed
away ten years earlier, Mr. G. stated he still grieved for him, as they had
been extremely close. Mr. G. drew support from his neighbors and their
teenaged children. They assisted him with his grocery shopping, spent
holidays with him, and helped him with his financial matters.
Mr. G. suffered from a recent stroke, depression, ischemic heart
disease, mitral valve prolapse, and difficulty walking as a result of the
stroke. He was alert, however, and walked with the help of a walker or cane.
He said he had grown up with cats and dogs. When the AAT program
coordinator first visited him, she noticed that the only time he smiled was
when he recalled stories about the animals with whom he shared his youth.
These memories, and those of his brother, were his fondest. When not
dwelling on these memories, he spoke often of his depression, loneliness,
and concern about his deteriorating medical condition.
The AAT coordinator paired him with Scottie, an extremely
affectionate Shetland Sheepdog or "sheltie." On the very first visit, Mr. G.
told Scottie, "I could fall in love with you." Their relationship blossomed.
When Scottie was thirsty, Mr. G insisted on giving him specially filtered
water, as well as frequent treats. He petted Scottie almost all the time, and
his canine friend stayed at his side almost constantly.
Scottie's visits were associated with significant decreases in Mr. G.'s
blood pressure and pulse rate. As the visits continued, Mr. G. appeared
transformed -- much neater in his personal appearance and the way he felt
about himself. The visits, he said, gave him something to get dressed up for.
Mr. G. was also much more animated and seemed to forget his troubles

13
when Scottie came. Eventually the visits came to an end, however.
Although he regretted not seeing Scottie any more, Mr. G chose not to
request further extended visits because of further health deterioration and the
possibility of nursing home placement. He expressed deep gratitude for the
AAT program and how good it made him feel, but believed he was not
strong enough physically to continue it. After Scottie's visits ceased, the
AAT coordinator continued telephone contact with him for several months.
"It is interesting, but sad, to think of all the elderly homebound who
have no outlets or support and who may not have touched another living
thing in weeks or months," the VNA-AAT coordinators state. "The bond
that was present between Mr. G. and Scottie was proof of the unconditional
love between man and animal."20(p 36), Note 3
Gloria M. Francis, PhD, professor of psychiatric nursing at Virginia
Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia School of
Nursing in Richmond, examined whether "puppy power" could stimulate
improvements in elderly female nursing home patients.21 The manager of
the nursing home described the ladies as "old, full of peculiar whims and
stubborn notions, not open to new ideas, and somewhat physically infirm,
although ambulatory."
The 21 residents of the home had been discharged from psychiatric facilities
over the last nineteen years. They were typically white, female, aged 72 on
average, and had spent an average of 39 months in a psychiatric facility
before being discharged to the nursing home. Francis selected 19 residents
in a comparable nursing home to serve as a control facility.
The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
had a Share-a-Pet program and supplied eight puppies for three hours each
Wednesday afternoon. At first, only a few of the women in the experimental
group signed up to participate. But when the big, old Buick station wagon
pulled up to the nursing home and the four handlers carried the cardboard
carrying boxes of eight squirming puppies into the foyer, magic happened.
"What do I have to do to hold a puppy?" one elderly resident inquired.
""May I be in the study?" another asked. "Please interview me!" another
insisted. Researcher Francis was delighted. "Potential puppy power became
kinetic puppy power," she wrote.21(p 39) By the end of the third week of the 8-
week study, some of the residents began to anticipate the arrival time of the
puppies and met the contingent on the front porch of the old stone nursing
home. When they spied the station wagon rounding a distant curve, they
would turn toward the front door and alert the residents inside that the
puppies were coming. Residents who had not ventured outdoors for years
were among the most excited.

14
 The puppy magic worked in patients the manager regarded as
hopeless. Statistically significant improvements were seen in seven of the
nine indicators of quality of life that were being assessed -- social
interaction, psychosocial function, life satisfaction, mental function,
depression, social competence, and psychological well-being. The two
variables that remained unchanged were personal neatness and health self-
concept.
"What is it about puppies and humans and bonding?" Francis asks.
"Why... would peculiar-looking little old ladies, set in their ways, having
food, shelter, and clothing provided for them, suddenly get up, move off
dead center, go outside into the sun and breeze, and smile and wave? Eight
puppies in wet cardboard containers -- really?"21(p 40)
Francis believes animal-assisted therapy programs may be good not
just for nursing home residents but for nursing homes themselves. These
institutions are deliberately planned and designed to achieve an
organizational goal -- ideally, to give more or less complete and loving
residential care to elderly individuals in need of assistance. But institutions,
over time, acquire their own needs -- and these needs, not the original noble
goals, eventually drive how the institution functions. "The staff, all of
whom wear one bureaucratic hat, quickly forget that one minigoal was to
serve a warm, nutritious lunch to 20 old folks in a friendly, easygoing,
homelike atmosphere, then all too soon allow it to become getting 20 people
fed by 1 PM so the 1 PM medications can be given and recorded, et cetera,
et cetera. You know the scene. How could anyone's spirit soar above that?
But a warm, wiggly puppy who loves you so much he plants a wet kiss right
on your mouth -- that has the power to make an old and tired spirit soar. He
is so excited over meeting you and being held by you, he wets in your lap.
And this is just the beginning of the bonding process. One cannot really
imagine how high the new and bonded spirit will soar. Unconditional love is
awesome power." 21(p 41)

HORSES, ANYONE?
Dogs may be the stars of animal-assisted therapy, but they do not
enjoy a monopoly. The McCormick family of San Francisco, for example,
employ Peruvian Paso horses as an integral aspect of psychotherapy when
traditional approaches fail. Adele and Deborah, mother and daughter, are
psychologists, and father Tom is a psychiatrist. Their "office" is a stable and
riding ring at their Three Eagles Ranch in Calistoga, CA. These amazingly
intuitive horses bring healing to severely disturbed young people, and guide
adults to explore new levels of trust, bonding, creativity, and spirituality.

15
Even kids with the greatest challenges and most severe damage --
sociopaths, psychopaths, children from horrendously abusive situations,
hardened gang members -- find that bonding with horses touches that which
is most deeply human within themselves, and helps them build bridges of
trust -- first with the horses and then with the McCormicks. With lots of
hard work and compassionate interaction, these young people find a way out
of their disease to become whole, productive members of society. Their
methods are described in the McCormicks' upcoming book, Horse Sense and
the Human Heart. 22

A BOOST FROM MANAGED CARE?

In the current climate of managed care, animal-assisted therapy may
get an assist from an unexpected source: the bottom line.
Psychologist Judith M. Siegel of the University of California, Los
Angeles, compared 345 pet owners with 593 same-aged counterparts with no
pets. The pet owners reported that their animals offered them substantial
comfort during times of stress, and those who owned dogs demonstrated no
increased tendency to visit physicians following stressful experiences.7(p 285)
Those therapies which keep patients out of physicians' offices are likely to
be favored and reimbursed by health-maintenance organizations. So, too,
are therapies which increase recovery rates from serious illness, as in the
Friedmann study above, which showed a correlation between survival from
heart attack and pet ownership.8 Would it make sense for HMOs to help the
elderly defray the cost of pet food? To underwrite animal-assisted therapy
in nursing homes? To help finance further studies on the cost-effectiveness
of these interventions?

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE: CONTRIBUTIONS OF NURSES

Nurses pioneered the modern use of pets to improve human health, as
the epigraph by Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) suggests. Nightingale,
the founder of modern nursing, carried with her a small owl, Athena, for
years. When she made her important contribution to the advancement of
nursing in the Crimean War (1854-6), she kept a tortoise named Jimmy in
her quarters in the British hospital at Scutari on the shores of the Bosporus.
Nightingale was surrounded by pets during childhood, and loved a
wide variety of creatures. She was a shrewd observer of animal behavior. In
her Letters from Egypt, a record of her journey on the Nile (1849-59), she
wrote,

16
 This morning I parted with my three pets, the chameleons
which I have had ever since we were in Nubia. I grandly
sacrificed them, and would not tear them from their
beloved tropic...so I set them ashore...instead of going to
see a temple. [They] were very aristocratic....One was a
capital shot, and shot all the flies, for his own use, at the
first blow: he was slight and agile. The largest was very
stupid, and a bad shot besides. They were of a greenish
yellow, the colour of mimosa leaves. I used to sprinkle a
mimosa bough with sugar, which brought the flies, and
they will kill fifteen in a quarter of an hour sometimes.
They are three inches long as to the body, three inches as
to the tail, three inches as to the tongue. They used to
hang themselves by their tail and pretend to be dead, that
the flies might come and settle on them...."23

Nightingale was keenly aware of the power of animals to allay anxiety

and provide comfort. Her insights echo to the present day. We recognize
her influence in the words of psychologist Boris M. Levinson, of Yeshiva
University in New York, whom many regard as the father of human-animal
bonding and pet-facilitated therapy:

A pet is an island of sanity in what appears to be an insane world.

Friendship retains its traditional values and securities in one's relationship
with one's pet. Whether a dog, cat, bird, fish, turtle, or what have you, one
can rely upon the fact that one's pet will always remain a faithful, intimate,
non-competitive friend -- regardless of the good or ill fortune life brings
upon us.24

WHAT IS THE HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND?

When we develop a special relationship with a pet, we experience
something mysterious, something not easily understood -- the "human-
animal bond," researchers call it. What is this bond? What is being bonded?
Why does the bondedness feel good, and why is it good for health?
Pets provide us the opportunity to unite unconditionally with another
living being. They teach us to love. Love, in a general sense, involves a
relaxing of personal boundaries and a willingness to "become one" with
someone else. Love, to flourish, requires surrendering our rigid sense of
individuality that creates distance and separateness.

17
 My hunch is that we do not "develop" a bond with animals or with
each other; our bondedness is fundamental, natural, factory installed, the
way things are. Of course it doesn't feel that way most of the time, because
through the processes of individuation and socialization we learn to devalue
and ignore our bondedness with others. Pets bring us back to the realization
of our unity with other living things. They help us remember who we are.
Samuel Butler (1835-1902) said, "The great pleasure of a dog is that
you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold
you, but he will make a fool of himself too."25Pets give us permission to
remove our masks and behave naturally. Is this how they open doors to
love?
I regard the human-animal bond literally, not metaphorically. It is
difficult to break, even when people try. For example, consider what
happened when a man wanted to get rid of his dog and released him in a
dense part of the city of Durham, North Carolina, five miles from his
residence. When he returned home the dog was waiting for him, frisky and
happy to be united with his master. The man's conscience was pricked, and
.
he decided not to abandon his pet after all 10(p 61)
Then there is the case of Minosch, a German cat, who reportedly
traveled 1,500 miles in 61 days to return home after being separated from its
vacationing family.26 And that of Bobbie, a pedigreed Collie with a quarter
strain of Scotch sheepdog in him, who got lost on a family trip in Indiana,
but who found his way to the family's new home in Oregon where the dog
had never been, 3,000 miles away, crossing the Rocky Mountains and ice-
choked rivers in the dead of winter to do so.27,28 Thousands of similar
cases have been reported. No doubt some can be dismissed as involving
look-alike animals. But not all; often the returning animal has its original
collar in place, and can be further identified by distinguishing marks and
scars.
Particularly fascinating are those cases in which the returning animal
appears to be responding to the physical and emotional needs of some
remote person. These instances suggest animal-assisted therapy "in the
raw." An example is that of an Irish soldier in World War I, whose wife and
small dog, Prince, took up residence in 1914 in Hammersmith, London,
while he was sent with one of the earliest contingents to the battlefields of
France. After a period of service he was granted leave to visit his family,
but when he returned to battle Prince was utterly disconsolate and refused all
food. Then the dog disappeared. For ten days the wife tried desperately to

18
trace him, to no avail. Finally she decided to break the news in a letter to her
husband.
She was astonished when she heard from him that the dog had joined
him in the trenches at Armentières, under heavy bombardment. Somehow
Prince had made his way through the streets of London, seventy miles of
English countryside, crossed the English Channel, travelled over sixty miles
of French soil, and then "smelt his master out amongst an army of half a
million Englishmen and this despite the fact that the last mile or so of
intervening ground was reeking with bursting shells, many of them charged
with tear-gas!"29
"Consciousness is nonlocal," states physicist Amit Goswami, of the
Department of Physics and the Institute of Theoretical Science, of the
University of Oregon in Eugene.30 That is, it is not restricted to specific
points in space, such as individual brains or bodies, or to specific points in
time, such as present moment. Consciousness, rather, in this view is infinite
in space and time, bridging between distant individuals and other conscious
creatures as well. Does nonlocal mind make possible the human-animal
bond? Is this why animals and humans can find each other across great
distances, as if they are in contact no matter how far apart?
We can explain some of the elements of the human-animal bond
through conventional psychological concepts, such as the acceptance,
nonjudgment, and companionship offered by pets. But the bond may be
more fundamental than we have imagined, and may involve the nature of
consciousness itself.
In my judgment, we shall never be able to understand our most
dramatic connections with animals -- those that transcend space and time, as
in the returning animal cases -- until we entertain a nonlocal view of the
mind. This particular view of consciousness is being taken seriously in
modern science. In a previous editorial dealing with identical twins
separated at birth and reared apart, who share thoughts and behaviors to an
uncanny degree, we reviewed several hypotheses from respected scholars
which embody a nonlocal view of consciousness.31,32

—#—#—

In today's high-tech healthcare environment, it is ironic that a puppy's

sloppy kiss can create measurable health benefits. Yet, the evidence
favoring the health value of pets is so compelling that if pet therapy were a
pill, we would not be able to manufacture it fast enough. It would be
available in every hospital, clinic, and nursing home in the land. When a

19
patient entered such a facility, the opportunity to have contact with a caring
animal would be routine. In view of the data that is available, we can well
ask, What's the hold-up?
We hear on every hand that medicine is in decline and that our system
of healthcare is going to the dogs. May it come to pass. Literally.

NOTES

1. For information about the Delta Society's programs, write P. O. B. 1080,

Renton, WA 98057-1080 or call 800-869-6898 or 206-226-7357. Pet
Partners®, a division of the Delta Society, coordinates training programs
that match up animals an people in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation
centers, and schools. They utilize a variety of animals -- dogs, cats, birds,
rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, even pot-bellied pigs and llamas. Pet Parners
can be reached at the same address and phone number. Another worthy
animal assisted program is Hand-in-Paw, founded by Beth Franklin, 2132
15th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205-3920.

2. For information about Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) call

707-528-0830. Founded in 1975, this organization has provided trained
dogs for hundreds of people with disabilities. This nonprofit organization
welcomes donations.

3. An excellent review of the field of animal-assisted therapy is available in

a special issue of Holistic Nursing Practice, January 1991, Volume 5,
Number 2, "The Human-Animal Bond: Implications for Professional
Nursing."

REFERENCES

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2. Voelker R. Puppy love can be therapeutic, too. JAMA.

1995;274(24):1897-9.

3. Arehart-Treichel J. Pets: the health benefits. Science News.

1982;121:220-3.

20
 4. Katcher AH, Friedman E. Potential health value of pet ownership.
Continuing Education. 1980;2(2):117-121.

5. Katcher AH. Interactions between peopole and their pets: form and
function. In: Fogle B., ed. Interrelationships Between Peoople and Pets.
Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas; 1981 [I don't have page numbers --
LD].

6. Baun MM, Bergstrom N, Langston NF, Thoma L. Physiological effects

of human/companion animal bonding. Nursing Research. 1984;33(3):126-9.

7. Bower B. Stress goes to the dogs. Science News. 1991;140:285.

8. Friedmann E, Katcher A, Lynch J, Thomas S. Animal companions and

one-year survival of patients after discharge from a coronary care unit.
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9. Radner G. Quoted in: Webb SH. It's a dog's love: what dogs teach us
about ourselves. Utne Reader. 1996;73:61.

10. Bardens D. Psychic Animals. New York, NY: Barnes &

Noble;1996:179.

11. Eckstein G. Everyday Miracle. New York, NY: Haper and Brothers;
1940. [I don't know page number.]

12. Adamoli V. The Dog that Drove Home, The Snake-Eating Mouse, and
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1982;121:220

15. MacInnis K. Blackie. American Journal of Nursing. 1991;91(7):84.

21
 16. Giordano B. Acute renal failure. In: Dossey BM, Guzzetta C, Kenner
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17. Cain AO. Pets and the family. Holistic Nursing Practice.
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18. [no author] Therapists come in all breeds. The Certification

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Summer-Fall 1996: 62-4.

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21. Francis GM. Here come the puppies: the power of the human-animal
bond. Holistic Nursing Practice. 1991;5(2):38-41.

22. McCormick A, McCormick D. Horse Sense and the Human Heart:

Discovering Wisdom, Healing, and Spiritual Growth. To be published in
1997.

23. Nightingale F. Letters from Egypt. London:Grove Press, 1987:112-3.

24. Levinson BM. Pets and Human Development. Springfield, IL:

Charles C. Thomas;1972:28.

25. Butler S. Quoted in: Friend T. Cagemates: why animals and humans
can't escape each other. Utne Reader. January-February 1996:62-4.

26. Scheib R. Timeline. Utne Reader. January-February 1996:52-61.

27. Rhine JB, Feather SR. The study of cases of 'psi-trailing' in animals.
The Journal of Parapsychology. 1962;26(1):1-21.

28. Schul B. The Psychic Power of Animals. New York, NY:

Fawcett;1977:52.

22
 29. Trapman AH. The Dog, Man's Best Friend. London: Hutchinson &
Co. Ltd. 1929 [I cannot locate page no. -- LD]

30. Goswami A. The idealistic interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Physics Essays. 1989;2(4):385-99.

31. Dossey L. Lessons from twins. Alternative Therapies. 1997;3(3):8-

15.

32. Dossey L. Recovering the Soul. New York, NY: Bantam.1989:1-11.

33.
Pet Therapy

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