Jackie: Welcome to Health Vision, WOUB’s program exploring complementary and alternative health practices. I am your host, Jackie Wolf, assistant professor of Social Medicine at Ohio University. Today we’re discussing Healing with Animals. Clinical Social Worker, Jane Miller, is here with us to discuss animals as healers, as well as Gretchen Crites, executive director of Helping Hooves. Jane and Gretchen, welcome to the show.

Jane: Well, I think from my experience, watching people when they come into my office for therapy when they’re petting Umaya there’s a calming effect that occurs that’s very powerful and potent. They’ll be petting her and they won’t even be aware that they’re sharing very deep and very difficult things to open up about. So, I think it’s a very calming, comforting, easy going, you’re not even aware that you’re petting a dog, but at the same time it gets you in a very relaxed state.

Jackie: Petting an animal is so automatic. If an animal is near us, that’s what we instinctively do, we just start to pet them. It’s something that you learn to do as a child. So that’s true, it’s something you don’t even think consciously about, you just do it.

Jane: Yeah, it’s very relaxing because you’re not even aware that it’s happening.

Jackie: Now, Gretchen, you work specifically with horses, and you work with children who have all kinds of physical problems, mental problems, and emotional problems. You do what's called “Therapeutic Riding.”

Gretchen: Right. We use the horse to actually do the facilitating of our therapy. Our focus is children, mainly with invisible disabilities; so we’re touching more on the emotional well-being. We’re trying to really boost self-esteem.

Jackie: Describe what you mean by invisible disabilities.

Gretchen: Our center specialized in that we handle children with life-threatening illnesses and also youth at risk; kids that are just dealing with parents going through divorce or bereavement issues, even sexual abuse. So we’re trying to make it a place were it’s safe and fun and just a place they can open up and be themselves. And the animals, actually the horses, are what provide the unconditional love and really help the children open up and get into it.

Jackie: Horses are really uniquely special to many children. I mean you see that in children’s play and in the kind of things they choose to put on their dresses. You often see horses in children’s rooms. So horses, I would think, would be a very unique way to get kids to open up.

Gretchen: I think they’re very empowering. Their shear size--they’re just beautiful and magnificent creatures—and because of their size, children at first may be very timid and think, “Oh, they’re so big,” and then once they get aboard and realize they can control this 1200 pound animal it’s just huge for their self-esteem.

Jackie: And they care for the 1200 pound animal, too. They don’t just ride the animal, but they also have to care for it and groom it and feed it. Is that right?

Gretchen: Right. They definitely develop a whole bond with their horse and they actually come in and say, “My horse;” they claim ownership. It’s magical.

Jackie: So each child has the same horse every time they come?

Gretchen: No, we rotate through, but they usually pick a favorite. Whatever horse is theirs that they might be riding for the day, it’s their horse for the day.

Jackie: How does therapeutic riding work? What does that phrase mean exactly?

Gretchen: It’s therapeutic in so many levels. Emotionally, like I said, it just really helps tremendously with them opening up. If they’re having a bad day, they may come and just hug their horse and you can hear them even talking, saying “oh, I love you brassy” and pet them. It’s just the unconditional love that, I think, really helps them be happy little souls again.

Jackie: How does the program work? How many weeks does it last?

Gretchen: We offer 12 week sessions: a spring, a summer and a fall. And they come for one hour and groom and learn to tack their horse and then they have a riding lesson. That is usually about 45 minutes. It usually takes about 15 minutes to do the work. They don’t really seem to call it work. Some enjoy grooming even as much as riding.

Jackie: And how else do the children spend their day, then?

Gretchen: Every 12 weeks we have one day, which is called a farm day, and we usually to utilize farm days on rainy days because we don’t have an indoor facility at this time. They can do anything from cleaning tack to actually mucking the stall, learning to feed.

Jackie: Do you actually see behavior changes overtime in the children that you work with?

Gretchen: Yes. I started in 1999 with one child, and now we have 42. Just watching the first students that I started with, it’s amazing to see—a couple have Autism—and they’re really using their words and their speech more pronounced and it’s just exciting. And it’s fun to see the parents on the side of the ring watching, and they just kind of get emotional. They can’t believe it’s happening.

Jackie: How does it work with Autistic children and at what age would you start out with them?

Gretchen: Our program, we start children at three and go to 18 because we want to focus primarily on children. The Autistic children we have right now are aging around five to seven. It’s just neat. We always have our horses voice command, and we have one little guy who’ll ask his horse to walk; he’ll say, “Walk on,” and then to trot, and he actually says “trot.” He was non-verbal to begin with, so I feel like we’re making great strides.

Jackie: Do you work with therapists or with physicians who know about your services and who refer people to you?

Gretchen: Yes. Each child that comes must have a physician referral.

Jackie: So that’s a requirement?

Gretchen: Right, it is a requirement. And basically it’s been word of mouth because we’ve just started, basically, a one-man show and haven’t had the funding to pursue a big ad campaign. So it’s been nurses and doctors who have really gotten in there and helped us and also Fairfield Medical Center has helped with scholarships as well.

Jackie: Jane, let’s talk about how you use animals when working with people. Now Umaya here, you referred to as a therapy dog. And you’re a social worker so you have clients that you work with.

Jane: Yes. She comes to work with me and I don’t use her, she’s a part of the sessions. She has been through trauma herself. She’s was attacked by two dogs, and because of that she’s very in tune with people who have been traumatized. And since I see a lot of folks who have dealt with trauma; whether it be incest, whether it be dysfunctional family issues. Her presence can really have a huge calming affect. Comfort levels very different; especially when someone comes for the first time, sometimes it’s really nice to have a dog. You can pet the dog. It’s much more relaxing, easy going. She’s also very intuitive so she can pick up on people; when they need space, when they need comfort, if they start to cry she’ll sense whether or not they want her to come up to them. So it can be very powerful because she opens doors that wouldn’t be opened as easily and she’s also very good about picking up people’s emotions. When people are really anxious, she’ll start behaving in a way that shows anxiety. So I can look at her and know that the client that just walked in the door is feeling very anxious based on her behavior?

Jackie: How did you discover this as a therapist? What made you decide to start using Maya in your therapy?

Jane: Well, Maya had a cancer when she was young and where she was having her radiation treatment was right near where I work and it was much easier just to bring her straight to work than go all the way back home. So she started coming with me after her radiation treatment and the affects were just profound. I started studying the affects on how animals can be so powerful as emotional healing with clients. Now I not only have Maya present in my clinical settings, but also done a lot of work on educating folks about having animals as healers in their own lives outside of the therapeutic setting whether it is dealing with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder but maybe an animal might really be beneficial. Every person is going to be different. Not every person will be a good idea to have a dog or a cat but animals can be very powerful in healing.

Jackie: I should emphasize for our audience that you think of Maya as a colleague and you’ve cautioned against the way we think of animals as we use them. We don’t use them. They are companions. They are co-workers. Service animals. We have a woman who is talking about her use of an animal as a service animal. It’s very interesting because we think of service animals as a seeing eye dog, or a dog that would possibly help the non-hearing and act as a person’s ears. But there is a much wider use now of these animals. People with Agoraphobia are afraid to leave their homes. People who are severely depressed also use service animals.

Jane: I feel that animals can be so much more effective than sometimes even anti-depressants because it will help whether it be elderly, whether it be someone who is depressed who can’t get out of bed, and animal can help someone want to get out of bed. Next thing you know, you are walking your dog when you haven’t stepped out of house in years. And you will have to be taking care of another animal so you will have someone else that depends on you and relies upon you which can be very powerful for someone who’s really struggling just to get through the day.

Jackie: Do you find to, Gretchen, in talking about children looking forward to being with their horses in the same way that people use other kinds of mammals, whether it’s dogs or cats but especially dogs as service animals, that that really helps someone have this new companion, this new colleague that they look forward to being with, taking care of, having fun with. Is that part of what’s happening?

Gretchen: I feel that all children need their own special niche. Especially in today’s world of so many societal pressures that there needs to be an outlet. Some children may not be so great in sports or the normal activity that so many are involved in and this really seems to click. It’s a great sport. We take them to horse shows and different events and field trips. And our whole little helping host body is like a family. It is very warm and embracing. I just feel like it’s a safe retreat from pressures that all these kids nowadays are going through.

Jackie: Do service animals, whether or not they are horses, the horses that you work with or the kind of animals that you’re aware of people working with. Do they need special training/ Let’s talk about the horses first. Do they need special training? Rather than just being a summer camp, where children go and ride.

Gretchen: Yes, definitely. Our center is. We’re very fortunate to be a member center of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, which is a nationally based organization. There are very strict standards of protocol that we have to maintain. So, therefore, our horses are just one part of the pie. Our horses, about five now, have been donated from where I graduated, Otterbein College. And they’ve been through it all. They're mostly older gentlemen but they’ve shown and competed in a variety of different horse activities. They just know the ropes and their very safe and kind souls. The kids are just lucky to have great mounts.

Jackie: Jane, before we talk about what kind of training other types of service animals need. Let’s hear a woman talk about her service animal and how it’s changed her life.

Lady: Four years ago, she came home with me. I got out of the hospital psych. I was in for a couple days because I was suicidal. So I got out and I knew that I was probably going to get a dog. And that was totally keeping me going. She just looks so sweet. Her eyes are very, someone said they were soulful. She’s my dog but I think that she has a lovely face. Oh my gosh, in terms of doing trauma work it’s been so much better doing it with Nina around. She helps me to be grounded. Sometimes, when I’m crying, she’ll sit there; she’ll lick my face. And you know what? Something so simple but like, it just reminds you that you’re not the only person in the world at that moment. Your pain is not the only thing that exists. I don’t know. I found that Nina really helps me to kinda snap out of that. Again, someway she is my shield from the world and others she helps me to be in the world. Our relationship with Nina is great. I would absolutely, absolutely recommend it. It’s really corny, but it’s true. She’s helped me to want to live.

Jackie: So what kind of training do these emotional support dogs, is that a proper term to use?

Jane: Yes.

Jackie: What kind of training do emotional support dogs need?

Jane: Depending on whether or not the dog is going to be an in-home companion or dog that ends up coming to work with you and being out in public. It depends on your own situation. Now that we have ADA, the American Disabilities Act, people with disabilities, emotional disabilities, are also categorized under the ADA. So, if it is an in-home companion, the dog will have to go through a training so that it will behave appropriately in the home. Especially if you are renting, if you don’t own you own home. If you own you own home, your dog can do whatever. It doesn’t have to go through special training. But if it is an in-home companion and it’s a rented space, then it has to be a dog that has gone through regular training on behavior. On not barking, being well-behaved. If you going to have a dog that ends up going out in public and it might need more training. And the problem with emotional support dogs is that every person that has emotional issues is going to need different things from their dog. Whether it’s their dog needs to help them wake up in the morning or their dog needs to help distract them when they are in a situation that is very traumatizing. For example, some dogs have been trained to, if you are a trauma survivor and being around your boss is very disturbing for you, they’re trained to be a distraction. And they will distract you to let you know they need to go out when the boss is near so that you will have to then go outside, have a little time to breathe, to relax. You’ll come back in and you’ll be able to talk to your boss in a way that you’ll feel more comfortable.

Jackie: Other than dogs and horses, what other kinds of animals would make good support for humans?

Jane: Well, if it’s an in-home companion and not one where it’s going to be going places with you for emotional support. A cat, a gerbil, a fish, a bird. I mean, any animal can be very healing just as a companion in that you are needing to have something to take care of that ends of taking care of you. So that the give and take is a wonderful bond that is formed. So it doesn’t necessarily have to be dog or a horse. It can be all kinds of animals.

Jackie: I heard about a nursing home, called the Eden Alternative. Where all the residents have birds in their rooms that they take care of. There are a few cats and dogs that kind of wander the residence at will and they studied that home and a similar kind of residence, same ages, same types of chronic illnesses. They discovered with the Eden Alternative, with the care of the birds, with the dogs and cats wandering at will, the death rate actually was much lower at the nursing home with the animals. And people’s medication, the amount of medication they took, went way, way down. And that increased over time. The death rate lowered over time. And the amounts of medication kept lowering over time.

Jane: Each individual is going to have different needs that different animals can provide. Some people might not be able to walk, so a dog might not be appropriate. A bird might be appropriate. The costs of animals; animals cost different amounts. So it really fluctuates and depends on the individual and what they need and what’s appropriate. So it’s really important to assess: what is this person capable of and what could they take care of?

Jackie: Gretchen, do you find your horses in special places? I would think you would have to look for special animals as opposed to just having a horse that people can ride. Are you looking for special qualities in a horse when you bring them to your farm?

Gretchen: Yes, definitely. Each horse that we accept must go through a 30-day minimum trial period where we just put them through the gammet. We throw basketballs at them and anything that seems spooky. We really need these horses to be bomb proof before these children get on and ride. So there are definitely serious protocols that we go through. We have a little miniature pony right now that we’re very excited about. His name is Casper and he’s our mascot. We’re working really hard, actually next weekend he is going to be certified by the Delta Society so that we can take him into children’s hospitals.

Jackie: What’s the Delta Society?

Gretchen: The Delta Society is an organization for therapy animals, well, seeing eye dogs and dogs that go into nursing homes, it’s the same thing that you (Jane) were talking about. They come and they observe your animal and test them and then once approved, they enable you to get into hospitals and things like that.

Jackie: So you’re going to take that pony into a hospital?

Gretchen: Yeah, we’re really excited about it.

Jackie: That’s really great, I bet the kids will go crazy. That’s really neat.
Can you share some stories with us about how working with horses helped a sick child?

Gretchen: When I was doing my training, I guess the thing that really touched me was: there was a little girl named Jessica who had a very rare form of cancer. And four of her ribs were already totally disintegrated. I was working with Jessica and I had no idea. Because I was doing my testing I didn’t really know what her ailment was. She was riding and walking and trotting and caring and jumping the whole course of fences, and then she would come back to me and say “Wasn’t I great? Wasn’t I awesome?" And I would say, “Yes, you were fabulous.” And she was just so on and just so excited. Then afterwards, I found out that she had to have been in so much pain, and this was just her thing. It gave her so much joy that it just really touched my heart and soul. I knew that these were the kids that I really wanted to focus on.

Jackie: What about you, Jane? Have you seen people really blossom or alter in some positive way when they’ve worked with animals?

Jane: Yes, very much so. I’ve had clients where the animal really is probably why they are still alive. I’ve had people that have broken up relationships and their dog is really what gets them up every morning, helps them get to work everyday. I think the animals in a lot of my client’s lives have really made positive influences in their lives. It’s been very powerful.

Jackie: Where do people find service animals? A shelter was mentioned, but what other places would you look?

Jane: I think shelters are very common because those are dogs or animals that have also been through some trauma. They can be trained depending on what the person really needs or wants. One of the trainers that I worked with, her emotional support dog is a Bull Mastiff. She wanted a dog to protect her because she doesn’t feel safe in the world. Most people would be terrified of Bull Mastiffs, but for her, her Bull Mastiff changed her life and made it so that she feels protected when she goes out into the world.

Jackie: When you take a service animal to be trained—and the same with horses too, I would imagine—are there people who are specialized in training service animals or are you just looking for an obedient dog who is also sensitive to your needs?

Jane: Both. The dog needs obedience training, as well as, some people have been trained specifically for helping examine what that person needs psychiatrically or emotionally for that dog to do. Whether it’s to wake them up to take their pills, to get them outside. They will work with you individually. But with dogs, it’s the same Delta Society where the dog can go through training with any obedience trainer, but then you will apply for the Delta Tag so that it’ll say that this dog is a service animal. They’ll wear a vest or they’ll have a tag that identifies them as a service dog.

Jackie: Is one gender over another better as a service animal? What about the age of an animal, those kinds of set attributes. Should you look for those as well?

Jane: Well I think a younger dog would possibly be very playful and maybe not real appropriate to take to work with you. You’d want a calmer dog, a dog that will be able to behave in public, so frequently the older dogs are better. But then you have to look at the age, and the fact that they might not live as long and they might have more illnesses. So I really think it’s really important to pick by what feels most comfortable to the person.

Jackie: Gretchen, what about horses? Would you favor one gender over another? Are male horses better with kids than female? What about the age of the horse? Does that apply there too?

Gretchen: It really depends on the horse. Most of our horses are older, just because the more training they have the easier it is to work with them. You don’t have to spend as much time and energy riding and training them yourself. But really we work with, for example, the slope of the shoulder. If they have a really upright slope, they are choppier, and if a student is really tense you might want to put them on a horse with an easier stride and a softer trot.

Jackie: Now where did you get your training? I’m listening to you and I’m realizing that you really have to have a sharp eye here to match horse with the child, to figure out what a particular child needs. Where did your training come from?

Gretchen: My background is Equine Science from Otterbein.

Jackie: How did you ever connect that with working with children who need help like that?

Gretchen: Well, I did an internship at Otterbein and fell in love with the therapeutic riding. There wasn’t really an area that existed and just did it for an internship and fell in love it and decided to pursue it after I graduated.

Jackie: Jane, let’s talk some more about some of the people you’ve worked with and how actually having Maya there in your room changes things or enhances things.

Jane: I think in some ways, it can be seen as role modeling. The connection I have with her and how we communicate with each other can be very powerful for a client to see. And really help them look at ways in which they can communicate with people that are in their lives. I think frequently, when we look at how we talk and connect with animals and the way we treat them is so differently than sometimes how we treat our partners or our friends. I think that can be very helpful to see how I communicate with her in a very different way and the bond that can be formed. A lot of my clients get on the floor with her and play with her and it can be very relaxing. She just brings a lot of joy into the room also. Here’s something that is very difficult. You come into a setting to share very painful experiences that you are going through and here’s this dog that brings such joy to the world. It can be kind of a relief when you are in so much pain.

Jackie: You mentioned the Americans with Disabilities Act a while ago, which has really changed the landscape for many Americans. I’d like to emphasize that we’re aware that seeing-eye dogs, for example, can go anywhere but now with the Americans with Disabilities Act any support dog can go anywhere. So even these emotional support dogs that we’re talking about are allowed to go anywhere that, for example, a seeing eye dog can go. Is that right?

Jane: Yes, that is right. But it is very hard though because a lot of the world and a lot of the society are uneducated about having service animals for people who have emotional issues. So, because of these "invisible disabilities" a lot of times people are stopped and people will say, “Well, you’re not blind. What are you doing?” and they have to explain. That can be very difficult for people that are already dealing with emotional issues. You can be confronted frequently in society by bus drivers or the people at work; “Why do you have this dog? What’s the matter with you?” It’s very hard for someone to have to share something, in essence, in a society where it is still a stigma. It’s much easier for people to see this is why you have this animal because you are blind. I think that can be a real struggle. It’s why a lot of people end up deciding to have their animal be an in-home companion.

Jackie: Jane, what do you see is the future for Helping Hooves? Do you see yourself going into different directions?

Gretchen: I’m really excited about Casper. I really want to pursue the pony in the hospital. I went with a center in Akron that’s already do this and I say little children in their hospital beds just, who were laying there so sick, jump right up and want to pet this pony. I think that would be a lot of fun.

Jackie: Do you have trouble getting hospitals to agree to let you bring a pony into the hospital?

Jane: That’s what we’re working on right now. It’s a lot of paperwork and protocol. But that’s what we’re doing.

Jackie: Do you envision working with specific kinds of children when you bring the horse there?

Gretchen: Our mission statement is really targeted for the ones with illnesses and youth at risk. So we want to grow and have a maximum around fifty and keep it small but really our own little family.

Jackie: Thank you both of you so much for being here today, you too Maya. I want to thank Jane Miller and Gretchen Crites for joining us today on Health Vision. For upcoming episodes, viewer feedback, and links to important information on alternative health log on to our website at the address that appears on your screen. And please, always remember to check with your primary care physician before changing or adding to your existing treatments. Thanks for joining us on Health Vision, a production of WOUB Public Television.