—s-sm^uj pood :s|eui|uv
2 Focus, The Battalion
Thursday, March 12, 1981
Pets help people cope with life
Researchers use companion animals for therapy
with the young, old, sick and handicapped
By Susan Hopkins
Battalion Staff
F ew people would not smile
at a puppy with a wagging tail or
reacrt out to pet a soft, purring
kitten. An exciting new dimen
sion of animal — and human —
care is based on just that: the gut
feeling researchers have that
companion animals are good for
people.
Studies have shown that pets
actually give people a will to
live. They improve both the
mental and physical quality of
life for people of all ages in a
variety of situations.
"People are suddenly smiling
and caring when pets are
around — it doesn't take scien
tific research to know that," says
Dr. Bill McCulloch, advocate of
pet therapy and professor of
veterinary medicine at Texas
A&M University.
"In the past we have taken the
value of the pet-people relation
ship for granted out now we are
finding increased evidence that
ets help to improve human
ealth and well being — certain
ly the quality of life."
Pets are being used more and
more in the United States to curb
the lonely feelings of old people,
prolong the lives of heart pa
tients, aid in the development
and responsibility of children
and bring about increased self
respect and strengthened egos
in mentally ill patients.
McCulloch and his brother.
Dr. Michael McCulloch, a Port
land, Ore., psychiatrist, have
studied pet-people relation
ships extensively. In a Detroit
Free Press article, Michael said
people project personalities
onto their pets and will construe
even their boa constrictor's,
hamster's or turtle's behavior as
loving or caring.
"A pet is non-judgemental
and not critical," Michael said.
"Owning a pet seems to contri
bute to self-esteem. It's that feel
ing of affiliation and bonding
that seems to be therapeutic."
R.A. Mugford andJ.G. M'Co-
misky did a scientific pilot study
on the psychosocial value of
animal companionship with
elderly people (ages 75-81) who
lived alone without pets.
^Lustralian parakeets were
placed in the homes of old-age
pensioners in Yorkshire, Eng
land. Some oldsters were also
given television sets or plants to
determine if these factors would
dilute their interest in the birds.
Results showed that the para
keets acted as social catalysts for
the old people.
One elderly woman reported
ly found that children visited
more often after she taught her
In the past we have
taken the value of
the pet-people
relationship for
granted but now we
are finding increased
evidence that pets
help to improve
human health and
well being'
bird to recite their names. And
many old people formed such
intimate attachments to pets
that conversation about them
displaced the monotonous dis
cussions of past and pending ail
ments.
Clarice Seufert of the Minne
sota Department of Health
writes about the idea of allowing
nursing homes to have pets,
under certain restrictions. She
says that pets often provide
emotional comfort to nursing
home residents who may be ex
periencing a loss of autonomy,
or feelings of loneliness or rejec
tion. In addition, she says, pets
may help ease the transition
from community life to an insti
tutional environment by provid
ing more homelike settings.
jAl Minnesota law permits
nursing homes to keep animals
on the premises. Texas has not
yet followed with such legisla
tion. However, Bill McCulloch
said, he is working with Texas
officials to review all the legal
ramifications involved in allow
ing pets into public institutions.
He has already contacted sever
al Bryan-College Station nursing
and retirement home adminis
trators about his efforts. He said
that although pets are not a
panacea, he beheves the posi
tive effects of companion anim
als as an adjunct to other forms
of therapy and activities far out
weigh the possible problems.
While small pets like dogs,
cats and birds tend to help the
elderly cope with bereavement,
loneliness and boredom, larger
animals can also be good medi
cine.
The Texas A&M Horseman's
Association sponsors clinics for
mentally and physically hand
icapped students, teaching
them basic horsemanship skills
to improve balance and coordi
nation and to help develop con
fidence and muscle strength.
Some animals actually en
able — or at least encourage —
people to live longer.
A study of 92 heart patients
found that those who owned
pets had a significantly higher
chance of surviving one year
than those who did not.
The four researchers who did
the study said that "the speech
less kind of companionship
shared with pets may provide a
source of relaxation that human
companions who demand talk
as the price of companionship
may not provide." The study
also indicated that simple kinds
of contact comfort can prodike
positive physiological changes
in humans.
For a child, petting a loved
animal can provide a simple, yet
much- needed, pleasure. Dr.
Boris M. Levinson, in "Psychol
ogy of Pet Ownership," says
that pets can help human beings
solve developmental problems
at various stages of maturity. He
says that children need love,
affection and nurturant care,
and that when such care is not
available or is in short supply, a
pet can partially fill the void.
In addition, he says, pets can
help toddlers become assertive
and can help older children be
come more independent in
handling school work and other
tasks, thus helping to develop a
sense of identity.
Bill McCulloch also pointed
out that as a child watches his
pet live and grow, from birth to
death, he experiences an emo
tional "dress rehearsal" of the
human life cycle.
A survey by Levinson re
vealed that 33 percent of clinical
child psychologists in New York
Continued on page 3
Stephanie McKay and Miki Cysewski check to be sure the
pet rabbit at French's Care-A-Lot Day Care Center has
plenty of food and water after a hard session at play with
several children. All children there are encouraged to pet
Jelly Bean, feed him and observe his behavior, as a vital
part of their learning experience.
Photo by Craig Atchison
FOCUS
Editor Cathy Saathoff
Assistant Editor Susan Hopkins
Staff Writer Kate McEIroy i
Focus will accept any items submitted
for publication, although the decision
to publish lies solely with the editor.
Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday before
publication.
Pets can be good for you.
By Susan Hopkins
The Four C's of choosing a diamond.
By Susan Hopkins
Is the hand really quicker than the eye? This magi
cian will never tell.
By Kathy O'Connell
2
5
.8
On the cover: Broken mir
rors, black cats, ladders,
spilt salt and open umbrel
las — bad news for the su
perstitious any day, but
this Friday has special sig
nificance. The second Fri
day the Thirteenth of 1981
is upon us. If you made it
through the first round in
February, better watch out!
Cover art by Scott
McCullar.