If you are a pet owner, you don’t need to be told that animals have the power to relax and calm. Studies find that interacting with pets can actually reduce the rate of healing time for the sick and emotionally stressed.
Pet therapy is becoming a standard in many hospitals, including children’s hospitals. There are pet therapy volunteer programs that bring dogs and other animals directly to patients and staff alike. Some children’s hospitals even have “baseball cards” featuring each therapy animal that the children can collect during extended stays.
Touching a pet can lower blood pressure, help a disturbed patient to connect quickly to health care workers and speed healing for both children and adults alike. Amazingly, interaction with a pet can bring an Alzheimer’s patient back to “the present.” It can also calm children with attention deficit disorder and reduce depression rates in hospitals and elderly care facilities.
Do you think your dog or other pet would be a good therapy animal? Hospitals in particular have necessary strict guidelines for animals that enter the facility.
Dogs must usually be at least a year old and have been owned by one person for at least six months. The dog cannot have any bite history and might be required to graduate from a certified training course.
Your dog or other pet must be calm as many hands come near the animal. Facilities will also require bathing and grooming to be performed before visits, and certification of health by a veterinarian is a must.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has a pet therapy program with a straightforward behavior test for potential dog volunteers. They have an excellent standardized dog therapy test that can give you an idea of whether your dog has the potential to work in therapy situations.
If you think your pet would make an excellent therapy animal, talk to your local hospital or elderly care center about their pet therapy requirements. The benefit both you and your pet receive will far outweigh the time it takes to complete the pet therapy prerequisites!
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I am in the process of getting my latest ex-racing greyhound registered as a PAT dog – this stands for Pets As Therapy, and is the only official ‘visiting’ therapy animal organisation in the UK, and Sid will be my second PAT dog. He’s passed his assessment, now it’s just paperwork and applying to the PAT people.
It’s such a rewarding thing to do, and providing you have a suitable dog (or cat, here in the UK) they love it too. Renie used to be waiting in the hall on visiting days, ready to be dressed up in her finery and taken out. She loved people, and Sid is the same.
I’d encourage anyone who might be thinking about it to take the plunge and go for it. Another benefit is that you grow so much closer to your dog through working together.