Therapy Dogs Offer Many Benefits

There's nothing like a friendly dog to make you forget for a moment the stresses of the day. In fact, studies show that human-pet interaction actually lowers heart rate and blood pressure.

That fact has spawned an assortment of therapy animal programs, in place today throughout the country in hospitals, nursing homes and elsewhere.

One such program, the Delta Society (http://www.deltasociety.org/), was founded 30 years ago. Its first president, a veterinarian, was a pioneer in human-animal bond theory and application. Research proved the beneficial effect of having contact with a responsive animal. By the 1990s, dogs screened by the Delta Society were being placed in pet visitation programs in nursing homes and hospitals. The Society even included comprehensive training for health care professionals and volunteers in the use of animals in a therapeutic setting, for example helping stroke patients to regain fine motor control by encouraging them to hand feed seeds to a parrot.

Benefits to dog ownership, the Delta Society says, include:

• Children who have dogs tend to be more self-reliant, sociable, and less selfish than children without pets.
• Elderly people with dogs are better able than non-pet-owning elderly people to cope with daily activities.
• Owning a dog gives isolated people a routine, a sense of purpose, and a sense of fulfillment that helps prevent depression and loneliness.
• Stroking and patting a dog can be relaxing, which is measured by a slower heart rate and a drop in blood pressure.
• Owning a dog can help reduce the risk of asthma.
• Dog owners are more likely to survive heart attacks than non-pet owners are.
• The presence of a dog can ease the effects of Alzheimer's.
• People with dogs have been found to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels when compared to people who do not.

While a dog may make a good pet, not every dog can be a therapy dog. The Society says those that do are "dogs with halos." Screening for a hospital program is intense. Dog must be able to tolerate being separated from their owners. They can't mind being crowded, as elevators may be packed with people and gurneys. Loud noises, such as a dropped bed pan, can't shake them up.

To be certified by the Delta Society, the dog must:

1. Accept a friendly stranger

2. Sit politely

3. Walk on a loose leash

4. Walk through a crowd that includes wheelchairs

5. Sit on command and stay in place

6. React well to another dog

7. React well to distractions, like loud noises

To see whether your dog might make the grade, the Delta Society suggests taking your pet to a busy park to see how he responds to strangers who want to pet him. See whether he follows your commands in a hectic, noisy environment. Therapy dogs have to handle new situations well, and enjoy being patted by strangers for the entire time they're "on duty."

A certified therapy dog is one that is well behaved, well socialized, and in good health, the Society says. Such dogs know the basic commands (sit, down, stay, and come); they really like people and have gentle temperaments.

Interested? The Delta Society says your vet or breeder may be able to put you together with an organization in your area.