Pros and Cons of Therapy Animals

Week 2

Studies have shown that there are benefits to having therapy animals in many different settings, the primary setting being schools, homes, hospitals, and nursing homes. Some studies have looked at the benefits of having therapy animals in close proximity to patients, as well as the concerns. There will always be Pros and Cons to care and treatment for patients. Let's look at the potential pros and cons of therapeutic animals:

Pros

• Can use any type of dog, there are no restrictions to breed or size (this is up to your discretion)

• Calm the anxiety of the patient/student

• Decreases patient/student depression levels

• Affect vitals such as decrease blood pressure, increase dopamine and serotonin levels, among others

• Assist in social skill building, as well as prevent loneliness of being in the facility

• Therapy animals can be trained to detect cortisol changes in people to recognize anxiety and depression in students

• Decrease anger and hostility

• Decreased fatigue/inertia in patients

Cons

• Must be registered and certified through an accredited organization (this can be time consuming and requires financial burden)

• Animals require additional resources for care of the animal (medical, food, toys, continued training)

• Fear avoidance associated with animals

• This can be worked out, but it would require more training and time restraints.

• Allergies are a major concern, especially with dogs

• There are other animal species that can be utilized to omit this concern.

• Liability for animals, animals have bad days the same as people

• Requires some level of exposure to the patient prior to detection of level changes

• Cultural concerns of patients

The research of pros and cons for therapy animals is abundant for the traditional settings of hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. However, there is limited research that looks directly at therapy animals in the athletic training facility. Despite the limitations in research there are a few athletic trainers who have animals into their care of patients. Trevecca Nazarene University athletic trainer Austin Krause implemented his personal dogs, Banks and Murray, into rehabilitation programs for patients. Although Banks and Murray are not certifiably trained as therapy dogs, they have made a therapeutic difference for the patients being seen in the athletic training facility. The University of North Carolina has a therapy dog, Remington, that has been working in an athletic training facility since before 2017. Remington can be reached on his own Instagram account @homerunremington. Terri Jo Rucinski, Remington's handler, got Remington from a training facility called Paws4People (https://www.paws4people.org/). Remington's training is in psychiatric medical alert. Banks, Murray, and Remington are just a few examples of dogs that have made their impact on athletic training facilities and the patients being cared for there. Their impact has made a difference to the patient's recovery, morale, and the atmosphere in the facility. Their pros have outweighed the cons of their service.

Many athletic trainers will take their furry friends with them to work in the facility as well as on the field. Social media has shown many pictures of ATs at work with their furry friends. These animals may not be certified therapy animals, but comments share the benefits that ATs see. If these animals were certified therapy animals, they have the potential to increase patients' recovery and provide comfort. Think of the difference therapy animals could make to the athletic training facilities. Consider sharing your thoughts with us in the comments. We would love to hear your perspective about therapy animals in the athletic training facilities. #TwoATsAndABlog

References

Coakley AB, Mahoney EK. Creating a therapeutic and healing environment with a pet therapy program. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2009;15(3):141-146. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2009.05.004

Marcus DA. The science behind animal-assisted therapy. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2013;17(4):322. doi:10.1007/s11916-013-0322-2

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A dog in the dugout. https://www.unc.edu/discover/a-dog-in-the-dugout/. Published March 23, 2017. Accessed March 5, 2022.

Trevechoes Online. Athletic Trainer brings dogs to work to relieve athlete anxiety. https://trevechoesonline.com/2022/01/13/athletic-director-brings-dogs-to-work-to-relieve-athlete-anxiety%EF%BF%BC/. Published January 13, 2022. Accessed March 5, 2022.

Paws4People. Assistance Dogs Transforming Lives. https://www.paws4people.org/. Accessed March 5, 2022.

Schultz EE. Furry Therapists: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Implementing Animal Therapy In Schools. The Graduate School University of Wisconsin-Stout. June 2006. https://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2006/2006schultze.pdf. Accessed March 5, 2022.

Grové C, Henderson L, Lee F, Wardlaw P. Therapy Dogs in Educational Settings: Guidelines and Recommendations for Implementation. Front Vet Sci. 2021;8:655104. Published 2021 Jun 8. doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.655104