![The Best of the Pets: Animal-Assisted Therapy]({"default":"https://sanctuarycenters.org/sanc/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/close-up-photography-of-fawn-pug-covered-with-brown-cloth-374898.jpg","2x":"","mobile":"","responsive":"true"} "The Best of the Pets: Animal-Assisted Therapy")
Animal therapy has been around for a very long time.
The ancient Greeks understood the salutary effects animals had, and the Roman Emperor Caligula was so fond of his horse Incitatus that he was garlanded with precious stones and made a priest (according to some sources, the horse was even named as consul).
There are records of American physicians using horses to help patients in the seventeenth century, and the American Red Cross enlisted farm animals to aid World War II veterans when they returned from the battlefield.
These days, animal-assisted therapy is a handler-guided interaction between a person and a trained therapy animal, and is used for various issues such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Speech impairments
- Emotional disorders
- Addiction
With the recent proliferation of emotional support and service animals, animal-assisted therapy is widely misunderstood, so I set out to learn more from an accredited therapist. A friend of mine introduced me to a Canine Assisted Intervention Specialist who has been working in the field of pet therapy for twenty years. She explained the differences between these types:
“Under the ADA, only dogs and miniature horses are recognized as service animals and awarded public access to accompany their persons just about anywhere. Therapy pets and emotional support animals (ESAs) are not given specialized public access without a specific invitation. They provide a supportive presence within the home of the qualified individual and anywhere pets would normally be allowed.”
The specialist went on to detail how the misunderstanding comes from people taking advantage of the fact that “there is no official nationally-recognized ‘certification’ process or registry regarding service dogs. This has contributed to an abuse of the concept, and many ‘fake’ service animals in public.” This abuse has led to a distrust of therapy animals and ESAs, which is why education on the topic is so important.
While dogs and cats are the most common therapy pets, but therapy animals can also be, amongst many others:
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- Guinea pigs
- Rats
- Miniature pigs
- Crocodiles
- Alpacas
- Squirrels
- Reptiles: Turtles and snakes
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To be approved for therapy, pets must be up to date on all their shots and immunizations. According to the specialist, “Animals for therapy are generally selected due to temperament, personality and high sociability.” In addition to generalized obedience training for therapy pets, owners also need training to learn how to help their animals interact with the people they help. Many factors are taken into account when deciding how to best make use of each pet in a therapy setting, such as: age, breed, size and type of animal.
People who use ESAs report they feel happier and have an improved outlook on life. Patients also describe other benefits, such as:
- Decreased feelings of isolation and boredom
- Comfort and aid in communication
- Decreased feelings of anxiety/depression
- Motivation to socialize
The companionship of a therapy pet can be a great cure for loneliness, as pets provide both their love as well as innumerable occasions for owners to participate in pet-related activities and communities. Individuals who participate in these communities report improvement in their verbal and social skills, which can make their interactions with others more enjoyable.
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A friend of mine who works as a therapist has a dog named Harrold he uses with patients in sessions. “As a neuro-atypical person with mental health challenges, I knew I needed a dog that matched my demeanor,” he told me. “I not only wanted a dog who could serve as emotional support for myself, but who would be a good fit for therapeutic work.” Harrold is present during therapy, and clients choose if, and how, they interact with him. Every patient is different. “Some [clients] glow when they walk in the room and see him, some spend most of the sessions petting him or laying a hand on him, some just sit down and start sessions as usual.” Harrold’s presence in the room provides opportunities that toys and other objects cannot recreate.
“Harrold is a great addition to my work as a psychodynamic-oriented therapist. In many ways, he acts as a blank slate for individuals to project what they need to project onto him—attachment, rejection, care.” In most cases, clients project onto their therapists in this way. Harrold’s presence provides another way for the therapist, and his clients, to investigate this type of therapeutic transference.
With Harrold’s help, the therapist and clients explore whatever comes up. “We can discuss if someone feels rejected by him because he decides not to sit on the couch next to them, or how it feels to be warmly greeted as they step into the room. Sometimes, he’s just there, seemingly invisible.” Harrold has been so helpful that Danny has plans to continue his training in animal-assisted intervention in other forms of pet therapy.
Pet therapy is a subject close to my heart because I can speak personally to its remarkable healing powers. My fiancée, Alayna, has had a therapy cat named May since she was a 3-week-old kitten. At this point, May’s been with Alayna for fifteen years, exactly half of her life.
I’ve personally seen May put people at ease just with her purring, which she does easily. She genuinely enjoys laying on laps and being held, which is especially helpful for Alayna’s travel anxiety. “Her ability to sit calmly on my lap when we fly or during stressful car rides has been life-saving.” But May is so much more than a traveling companion. “She has slept with me every night we’ve been together, and when I had horrible PTSD nightmares, her being there would bring me back down when the nightmares woke me up. May is the only reason I was able to sleep for several years.”
Therapy animals are trained to give us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. They bring us light in the darkness, hope when we’re destitute, or even just a dirty sock from the hamper… all without asking for it!
If you or someone you know might benefit from animal-assisted therapy, Sanctuary Centers has some great people trained in this field—talk to your counselor or get in touch with us directly!
About the Author
Derek Cowsert
Derek Cowsert is an English professor, freelance writer, and public servant living in Springfield, Missouri.
