Animal Assisted Interventions: Professionals Embrace the Power of the Dog

By Sara Karlberg and Helena Eriksson

This is a book for anyone who wants to learn more about what a social working dog is. Maybe you’re curious about what it might be like to work in a school or some form of health care together with your best friend? Maybe you’ve already done an assessment test and are looking for or have already started the course that best suits you? Or maybe you have a family member who you think would benefit from sessions with a dog team but want to know a little more before you propose it?

The authors have based the contents of this book on the situation in Sweden and cover everything from why dogs function so well with people who are in need of support, to how to select a suitable dog for the job. They give you tips on how to start training basic skills, finding the course that suits you best, and what you should think about when you have a certified social working dog. You will also read about important things to keep in mind when introducing a certified dog into the workplace.

Thirteen dog handlers tell their stories about a day at work with their best friend and colleague. The book also contains quotes from employers who have invited a dog team into their workplace. Animal Assisted Interventions – Professionals Embrace the Power of the Dog is simply a book that educates as well as moves you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Klickerförlaget Göteborg AB
• Release date: Nov 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9789198580341

Sara Karlberg

Together, Sara Karlberg and Helena Eriksson have a great deal of experience in both training and working with social working dogs. They are both dog handlers, and Sara runs Svenska Terapihundskolan where Helena has been working as a teacher since the very beginning. Sara’s background is in communication and public health sciences. Helena is a social worker and the manager of a recreational therapy facility. In this book, they share their collective knowledge of and love for the dog, both as best friend and colleague.

Book preview

01

A BOOK ABOUT HOPE, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE,

AND FURRY COATS FOR DRYING TEARS

Imagine you’re a little kid again. You’re very sad. Maybe someone was mean to you. Maybe your parents were arguing or someone at school said some really horrible things. You can practically feel the hot tears running down your cheeks. But suddenly there’s someone at your side. A wet nose pressing against your face. Eyes searching for contact. Soft fur between your fingers. A tail softly wagging, like a magic wand banishing the evil. Your tears dry up and you start to play together.

Now imagine you’re a teenager. What were you like back then? How did you feel? Did you feel like you were on top of the world one moment and falling into the abyss the next? Maybe there wasn’t a particular reason or maybe it was because of some difficult situation you were going through. Imagine lying in your teenage bedroom. Maybe you have posters on your walls. Maybe an old, well-loved teddy bear from your childhood. And you’re very sad. You feel alone; like nobody understands you. When the feeling of anxiety almost paralyzes you, suddenly someone is there again. You feel that same wet nose on your cheek. The soft, furry coat has more than enough room to absorb all your tears and fears. Maybe your BDF, Best Dog Friend, snuggles up in your lap or just curls up at your feet; your trusty guardian angel. You are no longer alone.

The years go by, a graying muzzle and that final farewell as your guardian angel gets their wings. A new soft nose, maybe even two come into your life. The size, texture, and temperature of that nudging nose may vary. It may be accompanied by eyes with a look of puppyish playfulness or endless wisdom. A long tail or a tiny little stub. Long, short, or rough and curly hair. Your dog, in whatever shape and form, is always there by your side throughout your life.

And then one day, you are old. Now imagine being really, really old. You’ve lived a long life and you’re starting to feel tired. Maybe you’re finding it hard to walk. In your head, you still feel 20, but your body has become a hindrance, you can no longer take care of a dog. You reminisce about the dogs you’ve loved throughout the years and it makes you feel sad and a bit lonely. Maybe you’re living in a senior citizens’ home with many other elderly people. Maybe family or friends come to visit you once in a while. Maybe you don’t recognize those visitors sometimes. But then, suddenly, one day you feel that nose again! That wet nose. Those shiny, sprightly eyes. That happy wagging tail. Maybe you haven’t met this particular dog before, but oh, how the memories come flowing back! Windows that have seldom been opened suddenly let in the light, the memories come pouring in, so clear and bright, like it was yesterday. Maybe you laugh and smile for the first time in ages. And maybe you even get a good night’s sleep, without any sleeping pills or painkillers.

Many of us have dogs at our sides throughout our lives. Some of us, for one reason or another, can’t have a dog, and for others, life without a dog is something abstract and unimaginable. The joys of sharing life with a dog are simply amazing. And when that dog is not just a family member but your work colleague as well; that is an absolute dream for many.

Kompis is a certified therapy dog and school resource dog. He works in Västerås with his handler, Sara Karlberg.

And that’s how it was for us. Dogs have always been a major part of our lives. They’ve helped us when things were tough and guided us through both the good times and the bad. And that got us thinking. Just imagine if we could help other people feel that same hope, love, and happiness that our dogs helped us feel. What if there was a way to reach those who can’t have a dog themselves, so they too can experience these feelings of joy. Imagine if our dogs could help others, not just ourselves, to grow, to feel better.

And you know what? It’s possible!

This book is about what we in Sweden call social working dogs, dogs who work together with their handlers with individuals or groups of people. Although other types of assistance dogs (e.g. guide-, service-, hearing dogs, etc.) also fall under the umbrella term social working dogs in Sweden, we have not included them in this book. After discussing this with professionals in the field, we have decided to retain the umbrella term social working dogs in the English version of this book. We will explain more about this in a later chapter.

This book gives you examples of what to think about when selecting and training a dog for this field of work, how to integrate a dog in the workplace, and lots more useful information. You’ll also meet several dog teams featured throughout the book in In the Spotlight. But this is also a book about hope, unconditional love and complete trust between human and canine, and, of course, interpersonal relationships. And about the value of being seen and heard, and about furry coats for drying tears.

The social working dog sector is a young field that is growing rapidly worldwide. Writing a book in these exciting times when things are changing so quickly is quite a challenge. We have tried to focus on the current situation – 2019 – and have specifically chosen not to include too many details that we think may change in the near future. In general, our perspective is based on the situation in Sweden, but we hope that this book will inspire those of you living in other countries as well.

Maybe you’re interested in training your own dog or maybe you and your dog are already working as a team. Or maybe you work somewhere that is interested in introducing a dog in the workplace, or maybe you’re simply just a little bit curious. Whoever you are, we really hope you enjoy this book.

Svea is a certified therapy dog and school resource dog. She works in Gothenburg with her handler, Annika Isoniemi Blom.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT - ANETTE AND MOLTAS

Job description: Moltas’s job is to be there for support and as a distraction, to motivate, encourage, activate, spread joy, increase self-confidence, well-being, and quality of life, as well as help decrease anxiety, fear, depression, etc. For a very sick child who has been in the hospital for a really long time and has to go through difficult treatments, the dog offers enormous support. The child can cuddle and play with the dog who doesn’t make demands or judge. The child can play at their own pace, despite the tubes and devices they are often hooked up to.

Moltas’s visits can take on very different forms. Sometimes we focus on food since some children stop eating due to the treatment they’re going through. The child can feed Moltas different foods that they can eat too. Moltas usually gets fed with a spoon.

By giving Moltas shots and putting band-aids on him, we can go through events together, and Moltas can even come along as a distraction when tests have to be taken. We do fun things, like play games, hide things, throw a ball, and go for walks. Moltas makes the kids laugh, gets them excited, which in turn makes the family happy. It means so much to the family to see their child happy, even for just a short moment.

We often visit the terminally ill children and their parents for many months. The children have a friend who never disappoints and is with them until the very end. With Moltas’s help, we’re sometimes even able to have discussions about things that are otherwise too difficult to talk about. It helps the children better understand and process the fact that they are going to die. For example, one girl wanted Moltas to play dead every time we visited her. Maybe that was her way of dealing with her fears? Moltas and I have also been to talks with the family of the deceased child, at their request, as support for the siblings.

Favorite exercise: None in particular. All of the visits are so worthwhile, it’s difficult to pick just one.

Fondest memory: There are so many wonderful memories, it’s really hard to choose. But when a child’s parents ask if they’re in pain and the child answers: I can’t hurt when I’m with Moltas, that really touches my heart. And when parents send me a text message telling me how happy they were to see their child smiling. What they’re going through is horrible. It feels good to know that we can give them that little bit of happiness.

02

DOGS AND HUMANS

– WHY DO WE FIT SO WELL TOGETHER?

To understand why working with a social working dog is so wonderful, we need to understand the human-animal relationship. Why do we have such a strong bond with animals? What is it that makes us love dogs, in particular, so much? What are the benefits and how did it all start?

MAN AND DOG

There are many theories about the origin of dogs. One of the more recent ones is that the domestication process started when wolves chose to start following people.¹³ According to this theory, we have wandered together with wolves and dogs for a large part of our existence. Man has captured and tamed horses, but dogs, still wolves at the time, are considered to have taken the first step and chosen to share their lives with us. The most social wolves lost their fear of humans, followed us around, and survived off our scraps. It was a ‘win-win situation’ for both wolf and man. No other animals have such a close bond with us as dogs. They have followed us from the time that we were nomadic hunters, through our period as farmers, and into the industrial age. Dogs have hunted, herded, and guarded for us as our needs changed. Maybe this is what makes our bond so unique?

You have probably heard the expression ‘man’s best friend’, an expression any dog lover will agree with. And there is now research to prove that dogs really do have a close, profound relationship with us - and that the relationship is mutual. Per Jensen, Professor of Ethology at Linköping University, describes a study that shows that a dog, when given a choice, often prefers contact and play with their human over play with other dogs.¹⁰

THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Humans and dogs share a long history together, and dogs have become true family members. Various breeds most likely began to take shape as a result of their geographical location - different environments required different skills. What we do know is that when humans started to breed dogs, the various breeds began to evolve into what they are today.¹⁰

From the very beginning of domestication, dogs have been important companions to humans. First in our hunting communities, but the dog’s role evolved as our needs changed. Dogs hunted, herded, and guarded, as they still do today. Over time, our relationship with dogs has evolved along with the changes in our society. The earliest documentation of animals in a therapeutic setting dates back to the late 18th century. Literature often states 1796 in North Yorkshire, England, as the birth of animal assisted therapy.¹⁹ The York Retreat, a type of psychiatric hospital, introduced animals as a way of keeping the more difficult to treat patients occupied. It was reported that the animals helped to increase the patients’ social contacts and sense of wellbeing.

Banjo.

Providing care

In 1919, the American Secretary of the Interior, Franklin K. Lane, suggested that dogs would be used in the treatment of the mentally ill at St. Elisabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C.⁴ At the same time, the American army was using dogs in their work with wounded war veterans. Unfortunately, neither the hospital nor the army collected any data on their work with the dogs, so carrying out any type of data-based assessments is not possible.

There are also reports in Sweden about how animals were used early on in the care sector. Initially, mainly as a fringe activity on farms and estates that functioned as treatment centers. In these cases, the role of the animals was to ensure that the farm could be self-sustainable. But little by little, just like in the USA, animals began to be introduced in therapeutic work with groups that did not respond to conventional care methods.

Documented studies

Boris Levinson, who published his article titled The dog as a co-therapist in 1962, is credited as the first person to document working with animals in care settings.⁴. In the article, he describes how his dog, Jingles, helped him improve his work with a sick child, and also make it more effective.

Svea.

In 1995, researchers Friedmann and Thomas published a study that would become the most referenced paper in the search for evidence of pets’ positive effects on our health.⁵ The study focused on recovery and survival rates among patients suffering from heart attacks and severe angina. Together, they proved that having a pet was one of the most significant factors for recovery and survival among patients diagnosed with one of these two afflictions.

Lower blood pressure with animals

There were two very influential studies in the 1990s. One of these, conducted by researchers Andersson, Reid & Jennings, showed that pet owners, in general, had lower blood pressure and lower levels of blood lipids.¹ This became an important discovery because decreasing blood lipid levels lowers the risk of atherosclerosis. The other study, by James Serpell ²⁰, studied the health of people who got a pet after not having had a pet for at least one year. Between six and ten months after getting a pet, their health had improved significantly. The new pet owners reported fewer physical health problems and improved mental health. Fun fact for dog lovers: contact with dogs had more effect than contact with cats. Long-term follow-up showed no lasting effects in contact with cats, whereas the effects from contact with dogs remained.

The theory behind the relationship

There are currently many theories to corroborate that humans and animals are a good match and that we have a positive effect on each other’s wellbeing. Which theories you encounter during your work will probably depend on your field of work. Different fields often have different views on what is considered proof of a theory. Some research fields want to conduct experiments to obtain robust, quantitative facts that can be compared and where quantity is important (the more data, the better). This type of research is called quantitative research. Other fields look at details that can be hard to measure but are just as important, such as how a person perceives their health. This is called qualitative research. Research about the relationship between humans and dogs is predominantly qualitative. Quantitative research on this topic often focuses on measuring blood pressure, heart rate, and various types of stress markers, etc.

Biophilia

Biologist Edward O. Wilson formulated a hypothesis that he called biophilia.⁴ In a nutshell, the biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. This would explain how animals have come to mean so much to us, providing us with a source of tranquility and recovery.

Closeness and attachment

Ethologist Konrad Lorenz, who discovered a type of instant learning and the forming of an attachment in some birds, has another approach.²⁴ He called it imprinting. He was convinced that a young bird could learn to recognize another individual and follow that individual for a large part of their life. This was not necessarily the mother bird, as imprinting can be done on other individuals, even humans.

Isa is a certified therapy dog and school resource dog. She works in Gothenburg with her handler, Elisabet Karlsson.

The concept of imprinting is generally not used for mammals. Instead, the term attachment is used to describe the strong relationship that is formed between a mother and her young. When we consider the term attachment in humans, it not only refers to a mother recognizing her child and preferring her own child to other children, but also to having maternal feelings, looking into her baby’s eyes, talking baby talk, etc. The same applies to the baby’s relationship with the mother, which is also often called attachment.

Attachment

In her book The Hormone of Closeness: The Role of Oxytocin in Relationships, Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg writes about psychologist John Bowlby’s interest in Konrad Lorenz’s research. Bowlby developed his own theory about human children and how they bond with human adults. He describes how this attachment process already starts during infancy. Bowlby pointed out that the child seeks out the mother, or other intimates, not just for food but also for closeness and affection. He was convinced that this attachment provides the child with a safe haven to return to when building up self-esteem and security.²⁴

Research shows that the bond between child and parent is comparable to that between dog and dog owner.²⁴ When a child or a dog is placed in a new, unfamiliar situation among unknown people, both the child and the dog will try to find their parent or owner. When exposed to a new situation, a dog will use their owner as a platform and a safe haven from which to slowly but steadily explore this new environment.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that is present in all mammals. It is often called the feel-good hormone.²³ Oxytocin is mainly produced in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus, and when transmitted through the nervous system, it has a multitude of effects. While it is, of course, much more complicated than that, oxytocin helps us create positive feelings when forming social relationships. Social interaction is stimulated, stress levels are decreased, and healing processes are started. Via nerves in our brain, oxytocin can influence our sense of wellbeing and calmness, while other effects, such as lower blood pressure, are caused by the pituitary gland releasing oxytocin into the bloodstream. We feel safer, calmer, and more relaxed when oxytocin is released into our body.

Touch and eye contact

Research shows that even our skin, a sense organ often forgotten, plays a role in starting up the production of oxytocin in our bodies. The hormone’s production is stimulated through touch and, if we enjoy being touched, we experience an immediate feeling of