Healthcare

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A Helping Hoof (or Paw)

Therapy animals and human wellness

By Vanessa Orr

S

ome animals play a critical role in helping people. Therapy dogs, for example, are used to instill confidence in children learning to read or to provide comfort for patients during cancer treatments. Even horses are getting into the act, not only providing a soothing presence but helping those with physical disabilities to learn balance and gain confidence.

“We have so many success stories here,” says Christy Constantini, executive director of Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska (EATA).

The Anchorage-based nonprofit organization’s goal is to enhance the physical, psychological, and social well-being of Alaskans living with disabilities through therapeutic horsemanship. Originally called The Rainbow Connection, the seasonal program provides services to children and adults with mental, behavioral, cognitive, and physical disabilities.

“Some of the kids who don’t speak come for speech therapy,” Constantini explains, “and once they get on a horse, they start talking or relating to the horse. We’ve had a number of people with social anxiety start to talk to other people once they’re in the arena, and this happens with our volunteers as well.”

Constantini has been with EATA since 2007, first as a rider before joining the board of directors.

“I look at it from a different point of view than those who are able-bodied,” she says. “I have multiple sclerosis, and working and riding horses fills my cup. I have dealt with a lot of things in life, and I find that horses give me support and keep me grounded. They help with my physical and emotional needs.”

Midas the Bernese mountain dog early in training.

Dog Works Training Co.

Midas the Bernese mountain dog early in training.

Dog Works Training Co.

Midas the Bernese mountain dog

Constantini says she observes the same fulfillment in others, both riders and the volunteers who lead them around the ring at the William C. Chamberlin Equestrian Center or on trails in Ruth Arcand Park in the Lower Hillside neighborhood.

“Being able to relate to an animal builds confidence, improves socialization, and builds strength and character,” she adds. “When a person attains their goals, it builds confidence and they feel empowered, and after they leave the center, that carries on in life.”

While children may at first be worried, Constantini says that it only takes one try before they begin to feel comfortable.

“Kids are nervous and scared the first week; they’re not used to being around a 1,500-pound animal,” she says. “By the second week, they are ready to go. Kids are amazing because they bond with the horses that they are assigned for their sessions. They draw pictures of them and bring them carrots and come to visit them.”

Constantini does recall one girl who would not get on a horse. “At first she was upset and crying, but eventually didn’t want to get off,” she says. “The transformation is stunning; it’s just amazing. There are a lot of tears of joy shed here.”

To the Rescue

Dani Adams, human resource assistant for the City of Wasilla, knows the importance of therapy animals firsthand. As a student earning her bachelor’s degree at a Kentucky university, she was able to visit with therapy dogs that the university provided once a month.

“When I was with them, I noticed that overall, my stress level went down,” she says. “If I was feeling anxious, the dog would lay its head on me and calm me down. The students really looked forward to the days that the dogs came.”

After taking her job in Wasilla, she hoped to find something similar that could help emergency dispatchers. “This is a high-stress job in a 24-hour facility, and because the dispatchers are in a separate building, they may not feel as much a part of the team as we’d like,” says Adams. “I wanted to provide them with something that could make their job easier.”

To this end, Adams worked with local trainers to increase the number of times that therapy dogs visited with dispatchers. Pet Partners’ handler Terry Yeomans and her dogs Tia and Sawyer and National Crisis Response Canines handler Karen Quist and her dog Roo now visit the Wasilla dispatch center regularly to deliver puppy cuddles.

“Both handlers visit the center approximately once a month and have been incredibly helpful to the city as we work to build our own therapy/facility dog program for the future,” says Adams. “I originally wanted to have an on-site facility dog but ran into a few technical difficulties; it was a more in-depth process than I expected.”

A facility dog is a therapy dog assigned to a particular location, explains Michele Forto, owner of Dog Works Training Co. in Willow. She gives the example of a dog that works in a dentist’s office and doesn’t provide services anywhere else.

In addition to relieving stress, Adams believes therapy dogs help with recruiting dispatchers when prospective employees realize the perk that the City of Wasilla provides.

“It’s very hard to find people in emergency services,” she says. “We’re getting staffing levels up, but for a while during COVID, we were having a hard time filling those gaps. I’m in charge of recruitment and doing what we need to do to make people want to work here. The therapy dog program could be a big benefit.”

Midas later in training to become a service dog.

Dog Works Training Co

man standing with Midas by his side

Midas later in training to become a service dog.

Dog Works Training Co

Cassmus completed the Canine Good Citizenship test, part of foundational obedience training for any therapy or service dog.

Dog Works Training Co.

couple standing with dog

Cassmus completed the Canine Good Citizenship test, part of foundational obedience training for any therapy or service dog.

Dog Works Training Co.

Visiting the dentist doesn’t have to be stressful when Lucy is around.

Dog Works Training Co.

person at dentist with dog at side

Visiting the dentist doesn’t have to be stressful when Lucy is around.

Dog Works Training Co.

Support and Service Animals

While pets aid humans many ways, there is a difference between therapy animals, emotional support animals, and service animals.

An emotional support dog, for starters, is defined by federal housing rules.

“Any and every dog provides individuals with emotional support, but under the Fair Housing Act definition, these are animals that are allowed to live in dwellings with their owners even if the landlords do not allow dogs,” says Forto. “These animals don’t have specialized training; a person just needs to provide a note from their mental health provider that the animal is needed for depression or anxiety, for example. These animals have no right to go anywhere else in public other than where dogs are already allowed, unlike therapy dogs, which can go to certain prescribed locations.”

A service dog, on the other hand, is trained to perform specific tasks, such as guiding those without sight or providing medical support or medical alert services. This specialty training can take up to two years.

“One of my medical alert dogs is trained to bring a medical bag containing an inhaler to a client who has severe asthma,” says Forto. “I also train mobility dogs for people in wheelchairs or who have ambulatory issues.”

Therapy dogs provide services to individuals in hospitals and adult care centers, as well as after natural disasters and school shootings. They begin their working lives at age 2 after obedience training. According to Forto, training for therapy and service dogs always begins with foundational obedience; dogs can proceed through intermediate obedience and advanced obedience, which involves training in specific environments.

“With service dogs, we start working on the specific commands that an individual client requires during the foundational obedience portion of training and throughout their two-year training process,” says Forto. “The programs through our Lead Dog service dog program at Dog Works Training Co. are not cookie-cutter; they are very individualized.”

Forto’s specialty is training dogs to work with healthcare providers in medical practices or school settings.

“A therapy team, which includes the dog and its owner/handler, may go to a hospital or a school for visits that typically take two hours a week, for no more than eight hours a month,” she explains.

Through Dogs Assisting with Grace, or D.A.W.G.s, which was started in 2008, Forto has trained therapy dogs to work at a charter school, where children read to the dogs. She also trained therapy dogs to participate in a Meals on Wheels ministry for a local church. She has also trained several teams stationed in medical providers’ offices and in occupational and physical therapy clinics.

“Being able to relate to an animal builds confidence, improves socialization, and builds strength and character… When a person attains their goals, it builds confidence and they feel empowered, and after they leave the center, that carries on in life.”

Christy Constantini
Executive Director
Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska

Whether riding on trails or in the arena, equine therapy is used for physical exercise, social bonding, and even practice with communication.

Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska

Whether riding on trails or in the arena, equine therapy is used for physical exercise, social bonding, and even practice with communication.

Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska

equine therapy
person smiling next to horse
man in orange vest riding horse

Bred for Bonding

Any dog can become a therapy dog, but some are better suited temperamentally than others.

“I look for animals with a high pack drive—which makes them good companions—a medium prey drive, and a very low defense drive,” says Forto. “Personality and temperament also play a part.”

German shepherds, golden retrievers, and Labrador retrievers are most often used as service dogs, though Forto has trained other breeds, including labradoodles and a Bernese mountain dog, to help specific clients.

“While other programs may give a person an already-trained 2-year-old dog and then send them through a one-month program where they learn to interact with the dog, we want to develop a dog’s bond with its owner from the minute we get it, from the age of 8 weeks until it’s 2 years old,” says Forto. “That way, the person is learning to recognize what the dog is telling them and to recognize certain behaviors.”

Forto charges a flat rate for a therapy dog, which includes all basic, intermediate, and advanced training as well as personalized training geared toward healthcare providers. She also provides training advice and other information on her Dogworksradio.com podcast.

“In the end, my goal is to help those who need a service dog, so while my other training programs are more expensive, I offer my service dog program at a lower rate than my competitors,” says Forto. “A service dog gives a person freedom, security, and the confidence that they’ve lost because of their disability; it helps the person through the transition and helps return them, as much as possible, to a sense of normal.”

Saddle Up

Horses seem to work the same magic, with the addition of physical exercise. EATA currently works with four different pediatric clinics in Anchorage by offering “hippotherapy.”

“When you sit on a horse, it helps to improve balance and instills a sense of confidence,” says Constantini. “Their gait mimics the human gait and enables riders to stretch their hips and move their legs and helps improve core strength.”

Children follow a plan of care that includes one-hour rides once a week for 8 or 10 weeks, during which they have goals to attain in areas including speech, occupational, or physical therapy. In addition to four paid staff, volunteers help lead the horses and care for the animals.

“Most years we have a waiting list,” says Constantini of the program that serves people of all ages. “Our biggest hurdle is to find and maintain enough volunteers to run the program; we could serve three times the amount of people, but there just aren’t enough horses or time.”

The EATA program runs from June to August; during the rest of the year, Program Director Janie Call houses the horses at her farm in Bend, Oregon. During that time, she desensitizes the animals to toys, rubber balls, and other items therapists use during their sessions.

According to Constantini, the seven horses in the EATA herd can tell the difference between someone with a disability and someone without. “They are so intuitive; they act differently with someone with a disability—they are so gentle and kind,” she says.

For such large animals, horses bring a serene energy to therapy sessions. “They can sense if you’re happy or sad, and they project their energy to help you feel better,” Constantini says. “I can’t explain it other than horses have an intuitive nature to humans, and they know what you need when you’re here.”