The Healing Power Of Dogs
Dogs have a very strong hold on people. So much so that we often resort to them to implement assisted activities and therapies, to help people or other animals. In this article we will tell you about the healing power of dogs.
Many newspapers have spread the news of the comfort dogs, which have been able to give some relief to the children who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. A small survivor could not even talk to his parents about the incident. However, he was able to confide in a dog, to whom he told the tragic story in great detail. A little girl, on the other hand, had suffered such a severe trauma that she had stopped talking since the day of the massacre. Surprisingly, things changed after the little girl had the chance to pet and pet one of these dogs.
The case of Sandy Hook
After the Sandy Hook school bombing, many professional therapists rushed to the scene to support the children who survived the attack. Tim Hetzner, president of the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K9 Comfort Dogs team arrived in Newtown in the company of his nine G olden Retrievers, trained to help victims of tragic and traumatic events.
The K9 team chose a Lutheran church as a base for operations. During their stay in the community they visited schools, churches, social centers, but also private homes, etc., always by invitation. These professionals always expect people to voluntarily approach animals and not vice versa.
Helpers with fur
People’s response to dogs has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Hetzner. “A lot of times children prefer to talk directly to the dog,” she said. “They are a kind of assistants with fur. Dogs know how to listen and show selfless affection. They do not judge and they do not criticize ”.
Dogs are also used to give psychological support to victims of natural disasters, such as on the occasion of Hurricane Sandy, and to brighten the days of patients in nursing homes. Hetzner said he came up with the idea after seeing the positive effects of dog therapies on students who were killed in a shooting at Northern Illinois University in 2008. Today, the core of the 15 dogs that make up the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs, another 20 dogs joined.
The main task of human volunteers is to make sure that the dogs do not get too tired, which means that every two hours the animals must be able to play or take a nap. Although some of the human assistants are trained to devote themselves to pastoral care and homiletics, “they must learn to remain silent, ” Hetzner said.
“I think it’s a common mistake people make in critical situations: they feel compelled to give an answer or advice when, in reality, the victims just need to confide in each other.”
Why does stroking a dog make us feel better?
It’s not just because they’re cute, says Brian Hare, director of Duke University ‘s Canine Cognition Center . The human-dog bond dates back thousands of years. Dogs, it is true, are descended from wolves, but while the latter are xenophobic towards other species, dogs are xenophiles: they love strangers! In this sense it can be said that dogs are better than people. We are not that friendly.
Dogs bring multiple benefits to humans. Petting a dog can decrease stress hormone levels, regulate breathing and lower blood pressure. Numerous researches have also shown that when a human being pats a dog, the hypothalamus releases oxytocin into the circulatory system , thus reducing stress, muscle tension and anxiety.
Image courtesy of RD_Elsie.
