WELCOME back to our exploration into all things emotional. In this edition our Emotional Health columnist Leigh Smith explores the therapeutic value of our four legged friends, and how the family pet can be as beneficial as the family therapist.
E LLIE has been a much loved and cherished member of our family for eleven years now. She joined us when my youngest daughter was only 4 years old, and now the bond between them is unbreakable. Ellie is a black Labrador with a heart of gold, who knows instinctively when you need a cuddle or a paw to hold. We have often joked that she can read minds as she seems to understand what we are thinking and feeling and just what to do to lighten the mood and make us smile. Ellie loves us all unconditionally, she doesn’t judge, pick sides, never says no to a cuddle, and has an insatiable appetite for being stroked. I can guarantee that if my mood is low she will plonk her head on my lap and stare at me with those big brown eyes that seem to say: “don’t worry, I love you” Ellie really is a special girl, but she isn’t unique in her ability to cheer up even the gloomiest teenager, and relax the overworked adults. A growing body of scientific research is showing that our pets can actually be making us healthier, reducing our stress levels and promoting the production of happy hormones that lift our mood and improve our mental health. It’s not just that stroking our furry friends can give us a warm fuzzy feeling, there is real science behind this feel good factor. The use of pets in medical settings actually dates back over a hundred years, as long ago as 1860. Florence Nightingale commented that: “a small pet is often an excellent companion for the sick, for long chronic cases especially.” But it was only in the late 1970s that researchers started to uncover the scientific underpinnings for that bond. Research shows that people who interact with animals experience a boost in levels of oxytocin, the hormone that promotes love and trust and is linked to reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Oxytocin has some powerful effects for us in the body’s ability to be in a state of readiness to heal, and also to grow new cells, so it predisposes us to an environment in our own bodies where we can be healthier. Making physical contact with an animal is, in itself, a rewarding experience which eases the mind and body; the contact generates a kind of looped system in which all participants share mutual benefits. One of the earliest studies, published in 1980, found that heart attack patients who owned pets lived longer than those who didn’t. Another early study found that petting one’s own dog could reduce blood pressure. Animals are used widely in therapy to varying degrees, known as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), and can include dogs, cats, horses, even birds and fish. Animals are used in hospitals to help with a variety of conditions, including stroke dogs, who are employed to help regulate the heart rate of patients after heart surgery. Therapists working with abused children will employ the calming and reassuring presence of a dog in the therapy room to help the child talk about their experiences with reduced anxiety. The positive effects of AAT are mostly attributed to “contact comfort,” a process which involves touch, where unconditional attachment bonds are formed between animals and humans, inducing relaxation by reducing cardiovascular reactivity to stress. “Owning a pet gives you a sense of purpose and belonging that can increase feelings of positivity and lower stress levels, all of which translates to health benefits,” says Allen McConnell, PhD, a psychology professor at Miami University who studies human-pet interaction. In some cases, animals can provide a much-needed confidant, a listening ear that won’t judge, give advice, or tell you how “that’s not as bad as my situation!” Some people really struggle to confide in others, and forming friendships and close relationships can be a real challenge, and in these cases talking to a pet can be the ideal way of getting it ‘off your chest’. Ellie knows all my daughter’s secrets, certainly more than me, and she’s not telling a soul! Even prisons are using the therapeutic power of pets to help inmates learn how to forge loving bonds, and develop ways to show affection, love and care, encouraging long-term changes in attitudes and behaviour. For some this is the first time they have given and received unconditional love. As a family, we all have a lot of love for Ellie, who has been a constant friend and source of support for my youngest, a jogging companion for my husband, and a source of comfort for me. Arriving back at the end of a long day, tired and drained, and being greeted with such love and absolute adoration by Ellie is just the medicine I need to remind me I am loved and home.