Pet Therapy Program

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the subject of using animals to actively help human patients recover from illnesses. The author illustrates how dogs are used to improve mental and physical well being, how they are trained and maintained, and the rare but possible hazards that could be involved when an animal is brought into a hospital. It is shown that benefits of therapy animals far outweigh the risks.

Outline:
History of AAT
Animals and Mental Well Being
Animals and Physical Well Being
Dog Certification
The Risks of AAT

From the Paper:

"Using dogs for police work, watch dogs, Seeing Eye dogs, pets and companions has long been accepted, but only recently have dogs been seen by the healthcare community as able to help the sick, injured, and handicapped (Parshall, 2003). The Delta Society, an organization that studies the bond between humans and animals, defines animal assisted therapy (AAT) as "the use of trained animals in facilitating patients' progress toward therapeutic goals" (Draper cited in Parhsall, 2003). AAT is "a scheduled intervention designed to improve a patient's cognitive or physical function, with specific short and long-term goals" (Cenner, 2001, p. 44). Therapy dogs are already employed in a variety of settings--hospitals, classrooms, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric units, prisons, and nursing homes to "lift the spirits" of all who meet them. Dogs comfort and help dying people to feel "acceptance and decreased isolation" (p. 51). They offer comfort to grieving relatives as well. But before 1990 little scientific research existed on the value of animals for therapy."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brodie, S., Biley, F. C., and Shewring, M. (2002). An exploration of the potential risks associated with using pet therapy in healthcare settings. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 11 (4), 444-456.
• Demello, L. (1999). The effect of the presence of a companion-animal on physiological changes following the termination of cognitive stressors. Psychology & Health, 14 (5), 859.
• Gunter, B. and Furnham, A. (1999). Are pets good for our physical well-being? In Pets and People: The Psychology of Pet Ownership, Ch. 5, 6. London: Wherr Publishing, 66-81/
• Hooker, S. D., Freeman, L. H., and Stewart, P. (2002). Pet therapy research: A historical review. Holistic Nursing Practice, 16 (5), 17-23.
• Kaminski, M., Pellino, T. and Wish, J. (2002). Play and pets: The physical and emotional impact of child-life and pet therapy on hospitalized children. Children's Health Care, 31 (4), 321-335.

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