THE POWER OF PETS
Let’s hear it for our wellness-boosting fur friends
Cute, cuddly and fiercely loyal, there’s a lot of reasons to love pets. And here’s one more – they’re great for your wellbeing! From equine therapy to cow cuddling, animal therapy is more popular than ever before. But while we’re hearing more about this practice, it’s been around for some time.
ANIMAL THERAPY
“Using animals to help humans is not new,” says Dr Kersti Seksel, a veterinary specialist in behavioural medicine and board member of the Delta Society Australia. “It’s been used for over two centuries.”
The earliest recorded account dates back to the late 1700s when British mental health reformist William Tuke introduced various animals to the grounds of his retreat in York. These days, animal therapy is used in a range of settings. Equine therapy is one popular approach that uses horses to treat various conditions. There are also therapy dogs that can be taken everywhere, from hospitals and hospices to courtrooms.
Delta Therapy Dogs is an organisation that runs numerous programs, where volunteers and their pups visit places including nursing homes, correctional and mental health facilities, workplaces and schools. “We have Classroom Canines, where the dog is there to help kids learn to read,” Dr Seksel explains. “When they read to the dogs, they don’t feel like they’re making mistakes. The dog isn’t going to criticise them or correct them.”
PURRFECT COMPANIONS
If you’ve ever felt calmer after snuggling up to your beloved moggy or pampered pooch, you’re not imagining it. Research shows spending time around pets can help to lower your stress levels. “There have been lots of studies looking at people who have had heart attacks, and their recovery rates are faster if they’ve got dogs at home,” says Dr Seksel. “Initially they thought you’d get better because you’re walking the dog. But … they found it was just having an animal around.”
More of a cat person? Studies show our favourite felines purr at a range of 20 to 140 Hz, a frequency that’s been shown to lower blood pressure, repair soft tissue and in some cases may help to heal bones.
Don’t rule out smaller animals either. One study looked at elderly people living alone who were given either a budgie or a pot plant to look after. The budgie owners experienced a greater improvement in their self-esteem and made more social connections than the plant owners did.
While pet ownership is great for many people, there’s one factor you can’t look past – regardless of the health benefits. “You’ve got to like animals,” explains Dr Seksel.