Cape Town dog trainer Sylvia Willemburg has been taking her dogs to visit her parents at Huis Zonnekus for the past year. Her father is a recent amputee and the dogs do not care that he is in a wheelchair, or that he sometimes smells of urine. They are not embarrassed for his loss, or rather, their own good fortune at having four legs, they just love him and are happy to see him.
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Sylvia knows how comforting the companionship of the animals can be. But now researchers are getting at the science behind those relationships and seeing how it can be used for therapeutic purposes.
The benefits of pets
There are countless stories of people who have found healing in the form of a furry friend. But science has also shown the benefits of pets to human health:
Animals promote interpersonal communication
Multiple studies have shown that the presence of animal leads to the interpretation of social scenes as less threatening. Animals are a conversation piece and so facilitate social interactions.
Animals aid in relaxation and decrease anxiety
Petting an animal is a rhythmic, repetitive activity, which can act as a form of passive meditation. Interacting with an animal has been shown to reduce the cardiovascular, behavioural and psychological indicators of stress. For example, watching fish in an aquarium was found to be as effective as hypnosis in reducing anxiety in patients awaiting dental surgery.
Animals help decrease our blood pressure
There have been several scientific studies using healthy adults, healthy children, and adults with high blood pressure, which show that simply being in the presence of a dog, or petting an animal can reduce blood pressure.
Animals can be a silent therapist
Animals have been used by psychiatrists and psychologists in formal psychotherapy for many years. Informally, owners typically talk to their animals as if they were human. We can unload our problems, fears and concerns to them without fear of being judged. Animals are always good listeners, never give bad advice and are always supportive.
Animals provide us with play time
Pets are non-judgmental playmates who will provide play on demand. They are always willing to chase a ball, go for a walk, or interact with us. Play is an essential feature of social, intellectual, physical and emotional growth for children.
Animals may improve our survival after a major illness
Two studies have shown that owning a dog had a significant effect on survival after a heart attack. Patients who were admitted to the hospital with a heart attack were followed for one year. The researchers found that patients who were alive one year after leaving the hospital were more likely to own a pet.
Animals improve our overall health. People who own pets report better health when compared to non-pet owners, and it has been shown that pet owners on medical aid make fewer visits to their doctors than non-owners.
Paw Pals
As a result of seeing the effect of her own dogs on her father and other elderly people at Huis Zonnekus, Sylvia joined Paw Pals, a group of volunteers with dogs who would like to operate in and around Cape Town as a therapy unit, visiting children's homes, old age homes and homes for the disabled.
Paw Pals grew out of a Johannesburg initiative Paws for People, which has been operating as a Therapy Dog unit for the past six years. Although the Cape Town group is not yet registered, it has already been invited to visit long-term patients in the Burns Unit at the Red Cross Children's Hospital.
The requirements for the dogs and handlers are strict: all visits and training sessions are conducted on a leash, with one handler per dog. A support handler is also available to assist in case of emergencies.
The dogs are chosen for their obedience and friendly temperament. To ensure that standards are met, all the dogs must attend weekly obedience training classes and pass the Canine Good Citizen exam, which is a very strict test of the dogs’ ability to behave in an appropriate manner around strangers.
"The enormous joy animals give in an unconditional manner, is not possible to describe in words - so, to bring a little bit of that into the lives of someone feeling really low, sad, sick or lonely makes me very excited," said Cape Town nurse and Paw Pals group leader Juleen du Toit. "To see joy on the face of another person is special."
As it is a non-profit organisation, each dog handler covers the costs relating to their dogs, from training, examinations and travel expenses, through to specific veterinary requirements, themselves. The group is eager and ready to work, but cannot proceed further, until it has registered and obtained public liability insurance. Any advice or assistance for the organisation would be welcomed, and if interested, contact Paw Pals treasurer Sylvia Willemburg:
c/o 10 Gluckman Avenue, Rugby 7405
Tel: 021 421 6540 (W), 021 511 9386 (H), 082 575 3774 (C)
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