Pets and Their People
Posted by Anne Corke on 2007-01-28. Filed under Monthly Feature
As dog owners, we understand and appreciate the joy that our pets bring to our daily lives. As therapy dog visitors, we know how our pets wagging tails and shining eyes can brighten the day for our clients. It's a known fact that therapy dog visitation is beneficial to those people who, of necessity, must spend their days in nursing homes or hospitals, isolated from friends and family. Imagine for a moment that you are ill and in need of long term hospitalization. Imagine how much you would miss your pet.
Opened just last fall, the new Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary has recognized the importance of keeping their patients connected with their family members, including their pets! Their pet visiting room allows patients to spend some quality time with their beloved dog or cat, helping both the patient and the pet cope with their separation. The room has windows on three sides, an outside entrance for the pets and an inside entrance for the patients. Since pets don't have to traverse the hospital to get to the visiting room, they don't come near any other patients. Since it opened, the pet visiting room has gotten a lot of attention in Calgary. There have even been rumours that horses would be allowed to visit through the pet room windows!
In Texas, PAWS Houston works with local hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centres to arrange pet visits for their clients, knowing the positive effect that the cherished pets can have on the physical and mental health of their owners. They also enable pet owners to sustain their relationship with their pets during periods of chronic and/or terminal illness by providing volunteer pet care, foster care and adoption where necessary. In addition, they provide an array of services to low income seniors facing the physical and financial challenges of caring for their pets by providing pet food, spay/neuter services and in-home assistance.
Many research studies have shown what we already know: pets enhance our lives. There is a positive correlation between contact with animals and improved emotional and physical health. The therapeutic value of a visit from a beloved pet is inestimable; it can brighten a patient's outlook and actually help with the healing process. Yes, the therapy dogs do a wonderful job in our hospitals and nursing homes, but even they cannot compare with a patient's own dog or cat. Hopefully other hospitals will recognize the importance of the human-animal bond and follow suit, making it possible for patients everywhere to revel in the joy of cuddling their own pet while confined to the hospital or nursing home.