The Dog Is Not For Sale
03 Jan 2007
Why do I carry dog biscuits to work? I admit they’re healthier than the occasional hamburger I have for lunch! But the biscuits are for a magnificent German Shepherd dog. He’s always with his master, one of the many homeless people begging for money on the streets of Toronto. But why the dog, when his master is unable to feed himself?
Several studies attest to the healing power of pets. A 45 year old quadriplegic who used a mouth stick to operate a computer often dropped it. The problem was solved by a Capuchin monkey who retrieved the stick for her. It also brings her magazines, opens refrigerator doors, puts cassettes on the CD and while perched on the arm of a wheelchair, combs her hair. Now she is never alone.
Another quadriplegic recently checked into a Boston hotel. But it was his dog, a black Labrador retriever who put his paw on the desk and accepted the room key in his mouth. He also wears a light backpack to carry personal items, pushes elevator buttons and operates light switches.
Are you worried about having a tooth extracted? If so, go to a dentist who has an aquarium. Researchers found that looking at fish in an aquarium prior to removal of a tooth was more effective than hypnosis in calming patient’s fears.
In another study people with normal and high blood pressure were asked to sit in a chair quietly for 20 minutes to stabilize their pressure. Later as they watched fish in an aquarium the blood pressure of those with normal pressures and hypertension dropped to lower levels. This method was as effective in treating hypertension as meditation and biofeedback.
Many studies show that animals have healing power. And it can be lifesaving.
The University of Maryland evaluated the importance of pet ownership in patients with severe coronary artery disease compared to having friends, belonging to a church, social activities and living in friendly neighbourhoods. The results after one year were shocking. Only three of 53 patients with pets died compared to 11 out of 39 patients without pets.
Pet therapy helps to keep healthy people above the ground. The need for people to get off the couch and walk the dog helps to shed pounds.
Dog ownership also provides opportunities for people to make friends. An English study showed that people in neighbourhoods where people were wary of one another feel safer when a stranger is with a dog . And if you want others to love you, have your picture taken with a dog. Politicians have long known of this benefit.
Researchers have also studied the effects of pet therapy on prisoners. Initially small caged animals such as birds, rabbits and hamsters were introduced to some criminals. During the next year the level of prison violence decreased and suicide attempts ceased entirely. The interaction with animals appeared to establish trust and increased communications among inmates. And dogs never ask what crime they committed.
Pets can also improve people’s social lives. One of my patients who had lost her husband told me each year of her loneliness and boredom. But one year she returned in good spirits. She had met a man who was also walking his dog in the park. Now they were happily married.
I admit that after many months I’ve fallen for this German Shepherd and like to think he likes me. Perhaps I’m being naive. He may like me just for the biscuits. But there’s no doubt he loves his master unconditionally, without any thought of his race, economic circumstances or physical appearance.
But how much does his master love him? He’s well fed even without the biscuits. And in the bitter cold he always has his coat on. But when I pass him, I always wonder if a man asking for money would sell his dog. I finally asked him.
I was pleased to hear his handsome German Shepherd is not for sale. Not at any price. Money could never replace what this dog gives his master day after day.
