The Healing Power Of Dogs
Dogs have an amazing healing power over people. So much so that they can be used as therapy animals to help rehabilitate humans or other animals. Next, we’ll talk a little about the healing power of dogs.
Recently, a boy trusted a Golden retriever to tell him exactly what happened the day the bombings occurred in his class at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The most important thing was the fact that the boy was able to share these events, being able to release some of that pain.
One girl didn’t talk anymore after the shootings, finally started talking to her mother again after petting one of the “therapy dogs” that were used in her psychological treatment.
The case of Sandy Hook
Knowing the healing power of dogs, after the attacks on the Sandy Hook school, professional therapy dogs were brought in almost immediately to support the children who survived the attack.
Tim Hetzner, leader of the Lutheran Church and director of the K9 Comfort Dogs Team, traveled to Newtown with nine Golden Retrievers, specially trained to offer support in these types of situations.
Using a Lutheran church in Connecticut as their hub of operations, K9 teams have spent the last few years visiting schools, churches, activity centers and private homes in the community.
They just go where they’re invited. Therapy dogs have been trained to expect people to approach them and not the other way around, as someone may be afraid or allergic to animals.
Healing power: furry counselors
The response to the dogs was very positive, according to Hetzner. “Often, children prefer to talk directly to the dog,” he said. “They are something like furred advisers. They have excellent listening skills, and demonstrate unconditional love. They don’t judge or speak behind their backs. ”
Dogs are also used to reassure victims of natural disasters, such as, more recently, those harmed by Superstorm Sandy, and also to brighten the days of patients in geriatric homes.
Hetzner said he came up with this idea after seeing how well students responded to therapy dogs as a result of a 2008 Northern Illinois University school shooting. Now, in addition to the base of 15 dogs that make up the K9 Therapy Dog team from the LCC, the group has over 20 dogs, which are divided between schools and churches that request their services.
The main role of human volunteers is to make sure the dogs don’t overwork, which means taking a break to play with the ball or take a nap after a couple of hours of work. Some controllers also have a pastoral care advising, “most of their training is learning to be silent,” said Hetzner.
“I believe this is a common mistake that we make in crisis situations, we feel obliged to give some kind of answer or advice, when in reality, those who suffer just have to express themselves. ”
Why does petting a dog make you feel better?
It’s not just that they’re beautiful, says Brian Hare, director of the Cognition Center at Duke University.
The human-dog bond goes back thousands of years. Dogs are descended from wolves, who have been attracted to humans since we started living in settlements, mostly as a tasty source of garbage.
Part of what makes dogs special is that they ‘re one of the few species that generally don’t have xenophobia, that is, the fear of strangers, says Hare.
“We’re doing a study on this, and what we’ve found is that not only are dogs not xenophobic, they actually are xerophilic , I mean, suffer from love for strangers! ,” said Hare. This is one way in which it could be said that dogs are “better” than people, as they are not always so welcoming”.
People also benefit from interacting with dogs. Simply petting a dog can lower levels of stress hormones, regulate breathing and blood pressure. The study also showed that petting a dog stimulates the production of oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and affection, in both the dog and humans.
Image courtesy of RD_Elsie.
