Take One Dog and Call Me in the Morning
By Marian Silverman, M.S.,M.F.T.,L.E.P.
For centuries humans have been magnetized to animal energy and have harnessed it
to improve their lives. Without dogs to guard us, guide us, protect our
boundaries, herd our animals, and pull our sleds into frozen wilderness, life as
we know it would not exist. Dogs also graced their way into our modern world and
have become our treasured companions, and often our therapists, as they
telegraph their healing energy through their cheerful demeanor, direct and
honest gaze and unwavering affection. Perhaps the greatest gift they offer is
their capacity to love us unconditionally, accepting our human frailties without
judgment, and loving us just the way we are.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Lying in the corner, on a sheep-skin
pad, Holly Go Lightly waits. Her mouth is curved in that Golden Retriever grin;
her tail thumps the floor in anticipation, while she holds the ‘down-stay’
position, waiting for her signal to go to work.
Nearby, elderly patients sit in chairs placed in a circle. They also wait, some
without purpose, others simply waiting to die. There is no conversation. Some
of the patients look confused, as if they don’t know where they are; others
mumble to themselves. One man is slumped over, half asleep, perhaps medicated.
The atmosphere in the room is heavy with the depression that comes with
Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and other psychiatric disorders.
Vigilant, Holly watches me. She sits sphinx-like on all fours, head up, ears
forward and alert, watching and listening for her cue. I point to the patients,
and give her the release words, “Go say hello.” In a flash, she’s up, her tail
swaying gracefully as she trots to the circle of chairs, moving through the one
space we have left open for her. She is off lead, but I am close behind. She
stands quietly, scanning the room. Someone is in distress.
Arms thrashing, his body writhes in the hospital chair, while his moans and
groans are heard over the mumblings of the other Alzheimer’s patients. The
Golden Retriever moves quickly to his side. She stands in front of him staring
for a moment, and then lays her head in his lap. From deep in the animal’s
throat we hear a low vibrating note, “ummmmm.” The patient‘s groans change to
sounds that match hers, and together they hum, “Ummm Mmmmm.” His body becomes
still. His arms relax. Now, one hand reaches slowly to touch her head as they
continue to vocalize together. The dog doesn’t move but looks up
into his eyes. The man returns her gaze, regarding her calmly. We have just
witnessed Animal-Assisted Therapy at UCLA’s Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital.
Holly moves on to the man slumped over in his chair. She stares at him, just as
she stares at closed doors waiting for them to open magically for her. Maybe he
hears her breathing, or feels her presence in the same instinctive way that we
know when someone is watching us. He opens his eyes to see a dog looking at
him. He appears confused as to what to do about it, until she lifts her paw and
puts it into his
lap. From somewhere in his memory, he recognizes the gesture, and takes the
extended paw in his hand. With his free hand, he touches the top of her head,
and whispers, “Good dog.”
Holly approaches each person in need; the suicidal kid, the withdrawn adult, or
the wildly agitated Alzheimer patient. She looks into their eyes, offers her
paw, or leans into their bodies. She stays with each patient until her presence
is acknowledged; she waits, not moving from the spot until a hand reaches out to
touch her.
The Power of the Canine Nose
Without any cues from me, my canine partner can sense agitation in the group. I don’t interfere with her process by
talking to her or giving her instructions while she is assessing the room. I let
her nose do the work. The extraordinary power of the canine nose enables dogs to
diagnose depression, anxiety, disorientation, and psychiatric disorders through
being alert to chemical changes in the body. They anticipate crisis the same
way medical-alert dogs predict seizure and heart attack, detect breast and
bladder cancer and warn diabetics of low blood sugar. They smell it.
A Profound Gift Staring Us in the Face
The idea of animals as therapists is
not new. The ancient Greeks believed that dogs could cure illness and kept them
in their temples as “co-therapists.” Today we work with designated animals
using their natural capacity to create well-being and call them “therapy dogs.”
In a hospital setting, we watch in wonder as the cardio-vascular monitors show a
drop in blood pressure and heart rates, often within minutes of the dog settling
on the patient’s bed. We listen as the elderly Alzheimer individual, who has
forgotten the names of his children, remembers his beloved childhood pets. The
transformational power of the human-animal bond is a profound gift staring us in
the face. It might even save our lives.
These are excerpts from the book in progress: “Take One Dog and Call Me in the
Morning, Amazing Therapy Dogs, A Prescription for Healing.” In l994 Marian and
Holly Go Lightly (certified therapy dog) helped launch
UCLA’s People-Animal Connection program (PAC) and
were the first human-
canine team permitted inside the confidential Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital.
Marian, a licensed family therapist,
educational psychologist and animal-assisted therapy specialist was a consultant
for the PAC program training volunteer teams until Holly’s death in 2002. The
program they developed for Neuro-Psychiatrics is still being used in the
hospital.
Return to the
May/June
Index page