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THE BENEFITS OF FUR

Briohny and her boyfriend Olof share their inner-city terrace with Cassady, a 23kg ridgeback cross. They also share a queen size bed. Cassady has been sleeping with Briohny since she was a pup. When Olof came into their lives, it was a case of ‘love me, love my dog’.

‘I know it’s not reasonable,’ says Briohny ‘Olof just has to accept this is the way it is – I love Cassady. We have a real relationship. She shares as much of my life as possible – including sleep.’

Briohny admits the arrangement gets pretty crowded. She says Olof wasn’t impressed to begin with but he adapted and now he loves her too.

‘They have their own friendship and when I’m away Olof still shares the bed with Cassady.’

Cassady makes Briohny and Olof happy. Happiness – a state we homo sapiens seek far and wide through a cacophony of advice and endless feel-good tactics. We’re told exercise, eating healthily, a well-rounded lifestyle, good friends, close family, an enjoyable career, a loving partnership will make us happier. But according to researchers our relationship with animals features high on our contentment barometer.

Recent studies have examined the beneficial effects of pet ownership and many experts agree that your pet is important in supporting your general state of psychological and physical well-being. Psychologists at St. Louis University and the University of Miami (Ohio) determined that pet owners have a better level of well-being than people who don’t share their life with a companion animal. They also found that even just thinking about your pet could help stave off feelings of loneliness and isolation.

‘Specifically, pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extroverted, tended to be less fearful and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners.’ says leading researcher, Allen R. McConnell

Sure, coming home to your pet at the end of a long day will make you smile. That lolling tongue, big brown eyes, galloping paws up the hallway – it is hard to maintain malaise when your pet is so happy to see you. Is this not just an emotional reaction to a ‘smiling’ face? Knowing something loves you unconditionally may be a mood booster, but surely this is not a measure of true happiness.

Investigation into the bond between humans and animals has been going on for centuries. Since the 1700s, scientists have been theorising that animals are beneficial for rehabilitation and mental health. The first documented use of animals’ inclusion in a treatment plan for the sick was in York, England, where a facility was established to care for the mentally ill, and patients were entrusted with the care of farm animals. The effects of this 18th Century mental health program were not definitive, but since then, therapists, sociologists, paediatricians, and psychologists have devoted countless hours researching the benefits of human-animal interactions.

A friendly animal can aid anxiety and makes you feel emotionally happy, but the lesser known benefits of animal interaction are even more impressive – the emotional reaction is mirrored physiologically within your body, resulting in measurable health benefits. Time spent with animals may lead to reduced blood pressure, a lowered heart rate, increased speech and memory functions, and heightened mental clarity. Amazing, right? No wonder everyone loved school excursions to the zoo.

A contemporary holistic approach to clinical care now often includes ‘pet therapy’, utilising animals specifically trained to offer comfort, companionship, and affection to those in need of a friendly presence, like the chronically sick, the hospitalised, the aged, the disabled and people struggling with a range of diseases and disorders like dementia, autism, and severe trauma and pain.

Many species of animals can be trained to provide a therapeutic benefit to humans; cats, birds, rabbits, horses, donkeys, llamas, dolphins and even pigs and snakes. But, here we will concentrate solely on the documented healing effects associated with man’s best friend.

Today, the use of therapy dogs is increasing driven by mounting evidence that dogs truly can heal. Studies conducted at Universities and hospitals across the USA have discovered a lengthy list of significant positive outcomes. When a therapy dog strolls through an aged care home, a resident’s blood pressure drops and the turmoil of patients with dementia is quietened. In a courtroom, a nervous witness’ racing heart slows. In an adversarial workplace, a calming therapy dog provides comfort. In hospital, a visit from a therapy dog lifts spirits and causes corrosive hormones generated by stress to plummet, reduces pressure in the heart and lungs, lowers anxiety levels by staggering amounts, and patients have reported markedly reduced pain levels.

With pain scores decreasing by over 20 percent, and mood scores improving by over 60 percent on average, the fascinating power behind the therapy dog’s wagging tail seems irrefutable.

Neurologist and pain specialist from the University of Pittsburgh, Dawn Marcus, M.D says ‘Blood levels of endorphins generated by the body increase dramatically after dog visit. That’s why pain levels go down. Endorphins block stress chemicals—the body’s natural narcotic.’

At The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, a menagerie of approved therapy dogs are regular visitors to neuroscience, orthopaedic, cardiac and adolescent wards. Brenda Kittelty coordinates the pet therapy program at the RCH. She says ‘Everyone, all over the hospital, responds really well to therapy dogs. Kids light up when they see them, but so do the staff and parents, and anyone else they pass in the halls on the way to the wards. All the dogs that visit – from Stumpy the miniature dachshund to Ralf the giant schnauzer - are incredibly well trained and have the most wonderful demeanour. Without fail, they put a huge smile on the faces of everyone who meets them, and in a children’s hospital, the more smiles we can generate, the better.’

Like hospitals, courthouses are an obvious match for pet therapy programs. Since 2003 in the USA, therapy dogs have provided comfort to sexually abused children while they undergo forensic interviews and testify in court. The dogs also assist drug users in their recovery, visit juveniles detention facilities, and ease intimidating confrontations.

In June 2011, a golden retriever called Rosie made news as the first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York. A 15-year-old girl was testifying that her father had raped and impregnated her, and Rosie sat by her feet inside the witness box. At particularly trying moments, Rosie leaned in and nuzzled the teenager’s arm. When the trial ended with the father’s conviction, the teenager’s psychologist, David A. Crenshaw said ‘{the teenager} was most grateful to Rosie above all. She just kept hugging Rosie.’

In this case, Rosie helped a traumatised young person make it through a formidable and frightening day; a clear cut and invaluable role.

If moving anecdotes are not enough to convince you, the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri has the scientific explanation for the human-canine bond. When you see, hear, touch, or smell a dog, the vagus nerve that runs from brain to gut is stimulated. The stimulation of this nerve triggers a neurochemical change and relaxation response. The result is that the amount of the stress hormone cortisol drops, and levels of feel-good hormones oxytocin and prolactin increase. This allows the body to switch from a deterioration state - a state of sickness - to a growth state, in which healthy new cells can flourish and promote healing.

My own home is one of the 63% in Australia that includes pets as valued members of our family. We recently welcomed a new addition – Eliza, an 8 month old spaniel we adopted from the RSPCA (pictured below), which in turn had rescued her from cruelty or neglect. Her boundless energy and goofy demeanour hint nothing of her difficult start to life. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to give her up, because her presence in our home has been nothing but delightful, chewed shoes and all. She makes us laugh, has reinvigorated the youthful zest of our older dog, and keeps our feet warm at night. Yes, she has even brought a measure of good health with her, given we are now slaves to her 6am ‘slobbering alarm clock’ routine.

I hope that my husband and I are never require serious pet therapy in a hospital or courtroom – knock on wood – but if one of us does, we agree that the only course of action is to smuggle in our furry friends, and let the magic of animal-assisted therapy make it all better.

Words: Stephanie Zappala Bryant, November 2011
This article was published in Kurv Magazine, Issue 025