ANIMAL MAGNETISM; PETS PROVIDE LOVE, INSPIRATION WHEN THERAPY IS `RUFF' GOING.Byline: Carol Bidwell Staff Writer Drop your chew toy A chew toy is a toy designed to be chewed. Chew toys help to stimulate small animals and birds, and also prevent boredom. There are several different types including rawhide, wood, paper and mineral. and grab your leash: The dog-tor will see you now. Furry, tail-wagging pooches may not suffer through eight years of medical school, but they really are helping ailing patients get - as well as feel - better, say those who run pet therapy programs in local hospitals. ``We've had stroke patients and accident victims who've learned to walk again because they could walk a dog as part of their rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. ,'' said Moonyeen Brubaker, recreational therapist and head of the Pets With Purpose program at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is a hospital in Mission Hills, California, USA. The hospital has 254 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. History in Mission Hills. ``And everybody brightens up when they see a dog in the hospital.'' While nursing homes have been allowing friendly pets to visit their residents for years, more and more medical facilities are recruiting specially trained dogs and their owners to actually aid in healing. The canine candy stripers can·dy strip·er n. A volunteer worker in a hospital. visit critically ill patients, encourage stroke and accident victims to exercise to regain lost physical skills, and help widen the world of handicapped children. Just last week at UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. in West Los Angeles
A seizure is a sudden disruption of the brain's normal electrical activity accompanied by altered consciousness and/or other neurological and behavioral manifestations. that has robbed her of her speech and her motor skills, walked for the first time in four months - clutching a dog's leash. On the other end of the leash was Frazier, a 4-year-old golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). with what looked like a smile on his fuzzy face as owner Stephen Chan stood by. Cathy Wise said her daughter, who began to have uncontrollable seizures when she was 18 months old, has spent many months in bed or in a wheelchair. But the little girl couldn't wait to get up on her feet when she met Frazier. ``We don't have pets at home because she's so much to take care of, but she loves when the dogs here visit her,'' Ashley's mom said, watching her daughter, supported by a physical therapist, painstakingly put one foot in front of the other, occasionally stroking Frazier's golden fur. ``He's very gentle, even though she pulls his ears.'' As Ashley and Frazier slowly made their way down the hall, other patients, visitors and nurses gathered in the hallway to cheer the pair on. One of the 70 to 100 seizures Ashley suffers daily halted the walk. But as she was gently lowered into a wheelchair, she held tightly to Frazier's leash, then giggled as the seizure passed and he stood on his hind legs to give her a wet goodbye kiss. Similar scenes occur daily at hundreds of hospitals throughout the country as doctors become convinced that it takes more than a pill or a shot to make a patient better. Although there's no definitive count of how many dog-volunteer teams there are, the 22-year-old Delta Society Delta Society an international, non-profit organization promoting the human-animal bond through the use of animal-assisted activities and therapies. in Portland, Ore. - the largest organization of therapy dog programs in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. - says it has more than 2,500 pet partner teams in 45 states, helping more than 350,000 patients a year. It's not surprising that dogs can help ailing people get better, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. several studies that suggest that people who own dogs live longer and happier lives than those who don't. Just petting a dog lowers blood pressure, and heart-attack patients who have a dog to walk once they return home have seven times the survival rate of non-pet-owning heart attack sufferers, according to a report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (often referred to as JPSP) is a monthly psychology journal of the American Psychological Association. It is considered one of the top journals in the fields of social and personality psychology. . Hospital workers' experience indicates that pet-assisted therapy encourages patients to forget their pain and push themselves harder and longer when exercising. One of the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX dogs' most important jobs is to buoy the spirits of very ill patients, often hospitalized for months while awaiting organ transplants, said nurse Kathie Cole, founder of UCLA's People-Animal Connection. ``It isn't just a feel-good thing,'' said Cole. ``The program was created as a way to keep the long-term patient's emotional integrity intact. When the spirit goes, the physiological status plummets pretty quickly, too.'' Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills hasn't yet expanded therapy dogs' visits to critically ill patients, but the pooches and their owners visit just about everybody else, from the kids in the pediatrics ward to accident victims in the orthopedic wing. The dogs are put to best use in the physical therapy and rehabilitation unit, where stroke patients with limited arm movements are encouraged to brush a pooch or play tug-of-war, and patients with leg or ankle injuries often walk farther and longer while holding a dog's leash. Recently, Sarah Guth, 83, of Van Nuys, recovering from a severely broken ankle, cozied up to golden retriever Buster when he came to entice her out of her wheelchair for a walk. ``I love animals; I love dogs,'' she said, fondling Buster's ears. With the aid of a walker, she began to put one foot in front of the other, hauling her heavy cast along with a smile as the pooch padded alongside, matching her slow pace. Down the hall, then back to her wheelchair. Guth was tired but happy. ``I need a roommate, kid,'' Guth whispered into one of Buster's floppy ears. ``Y'know, if you come back for lunch, I'll share with you.'' Bob Robinson of North Hollywood, Buster's owner, said he and the dog enjoy their hospital visits almost as much as the patients do. ``Buster's so relaxed that nothing bothers him,'' Robinson said. ``He loves the attention. I think he gets more out of it than the patients.'' Buster is a favorite in the rehabilitation unit, where patients often undergo six to eight weeks of therapy. ``We have patients who haven't been able to use their hands get on the floor and throw the ball to him for an hour,'' Brubaker said. ``We had a head injury patient who was essentially paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. , but she'd stretch and reach to pet Buster, and she learned to use her arms again.'' Hospitals aren't the only place therapy dogs offer help to those ailing. At James J. McBride School in Venice, members of the nonprofit Create-A-Smile Animal-Assisted Therapy Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, Team visit weekly to encourage children with a variety of handicaps to stretch their minds and their muscles. ``The kids light up when the dogs come,'' said principal Steve Barragar. ``It's hard to say what the long-term effects of therapy with the dogs are ... but do the words `warm and fuzzy' translate?'' Jose Rodas, 8, has cerebral palsy cerebral palsy (sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. and usually doesn't talk much. But when 130-pound Saba, a fuzzy brown Newfoundland the size of a small bear, showed up recently with owner Wendy Toone of Calabasas, Jose couldn't wait to sprawl all over the laid-back dog and have a chat. Lauren Bernard, 8, is a bit unsteady on her feet - and was a bit uncertain about approaching golden retriever Dudley. But when the dog, owned by Carol Ransom of Toluca Lake, planted a big, wet kiss on her face, she beamed and laughed and reached for a brush to smooth the dog's fur. Jenella Lightburn, 10, arrived in the dog-filled auditorium in a wheelchair, but soon demanded to be buckled into a walker and grabbed the leash of Dr. Buddha, a stout little pug pug, breed of sturdy, compact toy dog that became popular in England during the 19th cent. It stands about 11 in. (27.9 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 14 to 18 lb (6.4–8.2 kg). . ``The only time she wants to use the walker is when she walks Buddha,'' said the dog's owner, Daniela Ortner, a dog trainer A dog trainer is a person involved in the training of dogs. Professional "dog trainers" train the dogs to understand and comply with voice commands or hand signals. But as is more often the case, they find they must train the owners in proper use and technique. , psychologist and head of the Create-A-Smile organization. ``When we started coming here, she was not interested in anything. Now, she smiles and has a good time. ``Is Buddha your friend?'' she asked Jenella. The little girl's eyes grew big and her grin threatened to split her face. ``Yeeeeesss!'' she said with a wide smile. ``These kids love the dogs so much,'' said Andi Manpearl of Encino as her black lab, Virgil, wearing a jaunty jaun·ty adj. jaun·ti·er, jaun·ti·est 1. Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk. 2. Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. 3. Archaic a. Stylish. b. Genteel. pair of sunglasses sunglasses A tinted pair of glasses used to ↓ light arriving at the eye, which are labeled according to the amount of UV light blocked; nonprescription glasses are classified according to use and amount of UV radiation blocked Sunglasses , was mobbed by the children. ``We take them to a lot of places, including facilities for abused kids. There, we had some kids who were really afraid of the dogs. The only dogs they see are, like, pit bulls. But they got over their fear. After all, what could be more natural than kids and dogs together?'' CAPTION(S): 4 Photos PHOTO (1--Color--Cover) The power of pets Andy Holzman/Daily News (2) Holding the leash of Frazier, a golden retriever, Ashley Wise, 10, who has a seizure disorder, walks for the first time in four months. A patient at UCLA Medical Center, she is accompanied by physical therapist Rossana Alumba and Frazier's owner, Stephen Chan. John Lazar/Daily News (3) Sarah Guth, 83, gets a good-bye kiss from golden retriever Buster, a therapy dog visiting Guth at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, where she is recuperating from a severely broken ankle. John Lazar/Daily News (4) Julian Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the holds Dr. Buddha, a pug, during a pet therapy session at the James J. McBride School for handicapped children in Venice. Andy Holzman/Daily News |
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