Animals:
Continued from page 2
state used pets in their ther
apeutic procedures, with dogs
being the preferred animal. And
authors of "Pet-Facilitated
Psychotherapy in a Hospital Set
ting" said that such psychother
apy (PFP) fulfills two basic
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.
needs of patients: the need to
love and be loved and the need
to feel that they are worthwhile
to themselves and others. PFP,
it said, also helps develop re
sponsibility and self respect,
while teaching patients that love
and devotioon requires give and
take.
It has been suggested that
just as there are "seeing eye"
dogs and "hearing ear" dogs,
PFP could also provide "feeling
heart" dogs.
Dr. Leo K. Bustad, dean of the
Washington State University
good medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine,
has developed a people-animal
partnership program to initiate
sponsible pet care, formation of
a People-Pet Partnership Coun
cil, clinical centers devoted to
animal-human behavior and the
profiling of animals for therapy.
Bill McCulloch and colleague
Ned Ellett are working to de
velop a similar program at Texas
A&M, although it is a long-
range goal that will require
much research and financial
support from the school, com
munity and local veterinarians.
Bill is teaching a course this
semester for third-year veterin
ary students on the relation
ships between veterinarians,
clients and their animals. The
class deals with the psycho
activities in several areas of pet-
facilitated therapy, including re
dynamics of the human-animal
bond, effective communication
skills with pet owners and the
improving of human life
through therapeutic and educa
tional programs, he said.
Along these lines, psychiatrist
McCulloch wrote in "The Veter
inarian and Human Health Care
Systems" that the ultimate goal
of both human and animal
medicine is the same — "the
romotion and maintenance of
uman health."
A recent survey indicated that
55 percent of American house
holds have pets, 33 percent with
dogs, 12 percent with cats and 10
percent with both. These figures
tell us that the total number of
dogs and cats in this country is
approximately 64.4 million,
with 41.3 million dogs and 23.1
million cats.
Whatever the reason for pet
ownership, Michael McCulloch
said, there are important
psychological benefits involved.
And, although veterinarians are
not mental health counselors by
training, their professional obli
gations to human clients do re
quire them to respond to the be
havior — normal or bizarre —- of
the approximately 100 million
humans who come into their
offices each year.
In "Pets and Human De
velopment," psychologist
Levinson acknowledges the
need every human has for com
panion animals: "It would un
doubtedly be preferable for all
children to be brought up in
homes by attentive, loving,
understanding parents or pa
rent surrogates and for old peo
ple to live out their days in their
own familiar surroundings,
cared for physically and emo
tionally and given an honored
place in society. It would be bet
ter if society were not so mecha
nized, routinized and cut-off
from the vital rhythms of the
natural world. But this is not the
reality of life, at least in the west
ern world, and far-reaching im
provements will be a long time
in coming. In the meantime,
animals can provide some relief,
give much pleasure, and remind
us of our origins."
oxepname Mcis.ay learns to caretuiiy noia jeny uean me
rabbit, a pet for the children at French's Care-A-Lot Day
Care Center. The rabbit gives youngsters a chance to learn
about animals while they show affection, joy and responsi-
bility for him. Photo by Craig Atchison
This young colt is one of the new arrivals
at the large animal clinic of the Texas
A&M University School of Veterinary
Medicine. Sired by Sea Phantom and
closely guarded by his mother, Caj-pass
in the background, the colt is still un
named. He is one of many University-
owned horses raised for vet students'
practice.
Photo by Renee Vermaelen
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