Big Dogs Are A Big Help In Therapy

Friday, May 11th 2007, 5:35 pm

By: News On 6

For years we've heard just the act of stroking a cat or dog can reduce stress and lower blood pressure. If true, perhaps using animals can increase therapy success. The University of Tulsaâ€™s Dr. Beth Macauley believes it can, and The News on 6â€™s Rick Wells reports she's compiling the research to prove it.

There are speech therapists in Tulsa from 11 states learning more about animal assisted therapy.

"We know the act of petting a dog decreases blood pressure, increases oxygenation, and decreases stress and triglycerides in people," Dr. Beth Macauley said.

So, having a dog present during a therapy session should help the patient be more receptive.

"I'll get more out of them, they'll work harder when the dog is present,â€ Macauley said.

She works with clients in the speech and language pathology program at the University of Tulsa. Alex, a 200-pound Old English Mastiff is her assistant; heâ€™s a certified therapy dog and gentle as a puppy. Alexâ€™s job is to keep the client focused.

Dogs are used in other ways, Bozzie, a 7-year-old Samoyed, is helping young Evan with his reading by just listening. Kids seem to respond better to big calm dogs than small excited ones.

Dr. Macauley has been doing animal assisted therapy with dogs for 6-years and knows it gives her better results in fewer sessions. She's begun compiling research statistics to help prove what she already knows.

"We'll compare results with the dog versus results with out the dog," said Macauley.

For more on Animal-Assisted Therapy, click here.