Health Benefits of Pets

Exploring the Health Benefits of Pets

from the New York Times October 5, 2009

Michal Czerwonka for The New York Times

INTERACTION Tommy Conforti, a cancer patient, and Lady, a therapy dog.

By CARLA BARANAUCKAS

When Chad, a yellow Labrador retriever, moved in with Claire Vaccaro’s family in Manhattan last spring, he already had an important role. As an autism service dog, he was joining the family to help protect Ms. Vaccaro’s 11-year-old son, Milo — especially in public, where he often had tantrums or tried to run away.

Like many companion animals, whether service dogs or pets, Chad had an immediate effect — the kind of effect that is noticeable but has yet to be fully understood through scientific study. And it went beyond the tether that connects dog and boy in public.

“Within, I would say, a week, I noticed enormous changes,” Ms. Vaccaro said of Milo, whose autism impairs his ability to communicate and form social bonds. “More and more changes have happened over the months as their bond has grown. He’s much calmer. He can concentrate for much longer periods of time. It’s almost like a cloud has lifted.”

Dr. Melissa A. Nishawala, clinical director of the autism-spectrum service at the Child Study Center at New York University, said she saw “a prominent and noticeable change” in Milo, even though the dog just sat quietly in the room. “He started to give me narratives in a way he never did,” she said, adding that most of them were about the dog.

The changes have been so profound that Ms. Vaccaro and Dr. Nishawala are starting to talk about weaning Milo from some of his medication.

Anecdotes abound on the benefits of companion animals — whether service and therapy animals or family pets — on human health. But in-depth studies have been rare. Now the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health, is embarking on an effort to study whether these animals can have a tangible effect on children’s well-being.

In partnership with the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition in England (part of the Mars candy and pet food company), the child health institute is seeking proposals that “focus on the interaction between humans and animals.” In particular, it is looking for studies on how these interactions affect typical development and health, and whether they have therapeutic and public-health benefits. It also invites applications for studies that “address why relationships with pets are more important to some children than to others” and that “explore the quality of child-pet relationships, noting variability of human-animal relationships within a family.”

The national institutes’ interest in this type of research goes back at least two decades. Valerie Maholmes, who directs research on child development and behavior at the children’s health institute, said that at a broad-ranging meeting in 1987 on the health benefits of pets, the N.I.H. “concluded that there needed to be much more research,” especially on child development.

Other sessions confirmed the need for research, but most studies focused on negative interactions, like the ways pets could spread disease, said James A. Griffin, the institute’s deputy chief of child development and behavior.

Meanwhile, the Waltham Center was expanding its own research to do some small studies about human-animal interaction, said Catherine E. Woteki, global director of scientific affairs for Mars Inc. “We are a pet food company and pet care company,” Dr. Woteki said, “and we’re interested in seeing that that relationship stays a strong one.”

Reviews of the Waltham research program indicated that larger studies over longer terms with appropriate control groups were needed. When Mars became aware of the institutes’ interest in this type of research, a public-private partnership was established, with the company committing more than $2 million. The National Institute of Nursing is also providing money.

Peggy McCardle, chief of the institutes’ child development and behavior branch, said the money from Mars helped jump-start the efforts. Dr. McCardle added that the N.I.H. had established protocols for public-private partnerships and that all proposals got two levels of review before being approved.

People working with animals expect the research to back up their observations. At Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Southern California, for instance, dozens of volunteers regularly take their dogs to visit patients. Children being treated for serious illnesses often have the blues, anxiety or depression. “The dogs brighten them up,” said Emily Grankowski, who oversees the pet therapy program at the hospital.

Some patients who have refused to speak will talk to the dogs, she said, and others who have refused to move often reach for the dogs so they can pet them. So the animals become part of the therapeutic program, especially in the areas involving speech and movement.

“The human-animal bond bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the heart and emotions and nurtures us in ways that nothing else can,” said Karin Winegar, whose book “Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform” (Da Capo, 2008) chronicles human-animal interactions. “We’ve seen this from coast to coast, whether it’s disabled children at a riding center in California or a nursing home in Minnesota, where a woman with Alzheimer’s could not recognize her husband but she could recognize their beloved dog.”

Such observations are not new at Autism Service Dogs of America, which brought Milo and Chad together. “Many children with autism can’t relate to a human,” said its director, Pris Taylor, “but they can relate to a dog.”

Dog Fancy totally gets The Complete Single’s Guide To Being A Dog Owner

I couldn’t be happier! Read this great article from dogchannel.com; it’s the website for Dog Fancy Magazine!

Advice for the Single Dog Owner

Author Betsy Rosenfeld offers a guide to living and dating with a dog.

It’s Confirmed: I Love Dogs

Betsy Rosenfeld Class of 1995'ish

I went back to visit my alma mater, The University of Pennsylvania last week and in the few short hours I was there, I had one of those “DUH” realizations. That just makes you kind of laugh at yourself that you have missed such an obvious truth for so long. In this case, it was my truth that I love dogs, and how much their sheer presence impacts me.

I was not exactly a good student in college. I worked harder at not studying than I would have had to if I had just done the assigned work. But truly, I kind of hated the school part of school. Sitting still, reading endless pages of meaningless (or what I assumed would have been meaningless as I didn’t read them) assigned texts and writing papers in stodgy academic speak… YUCK. Instead I concentrated on boys, parties, and manipulating the PENN educational system to my benefit…who else turned 3 weeks in Greece and Turkey (including 5 days on a cruise) into 2 classes-worth of credits.

Halloween 1993

In the midst of this mire of academic waste, sorry mom and dad, a few classes do stand out… European Film… it reminded me of my high school film class at Crossroads, and my favorite teacher Jim Hosney. Women in Film because I dated my T.A. (technically after I turned in my last paper but I did get an A-) and finally a Communication class my senior year about First Amendment and Free Speech.

I always think of that class as a time when I actually did the assigned reading and participated in class. (As an aside, Elizabeth Banks was also in that class.) While I happen to now work for a first amendment scholar (Tracy Westen at the Center for Governmental Studies www.cgs.org) it doesn’t have much to with my later use of the material. To tell you truth I kind of never thought much about why I decided to pay attention in that class, that is not until last week’s visit to PENN when I felt compelled to seek out the professor of that class. Dr. Carolyn Marvin did I finally make the connection.

Over coffee, I showed her my book and we talked about what I’d been doing for the last (gasp) 14 years.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with my love of dogs. Well, Dr. Marvin aside from being an amazingly dynamic woman with a fantastic southern accent and a sassy attitude who taught an amazing class, she had a German Shepherd named Megan that came to class each week.

I of course remembered Megan fondly– she was an older shepherd girl with a fluffy coat belly made for tummy rubs—however it wasn’t until Dr. Marvin jokingly suggested that maybe it was Megan that helped me concentrate in her class that I made the connection.

Could it be that having a Megan in class pushed things over the top for me? Could being able to pet her while listening to a lecture, or give her a quick pat before taking a test have put me at ease and lessened the stress of school for me enough that I got past my otherwise ADD approach to school?

Abso-effin-lutely.

Just as dogs just have a calming presence for heart patients, for me, the presence of a dog can make you, or at least me, go above and beyond where I might have otherwise stopped. And nothing is a better testament to that than my book, The Complete Single’s Guide to Being A Dog Owner.

The Complete Single's Guide to Being A Dog Owner

For a girl who would have an anxiety attack about writing a 1000 word paper in school, I turned in the equivalent of 183 such papers when turning in my manuscript. And they were good papers too!

So I guess the moral of this little story is for the love of a good dog you can do almost anything!

My Kick-Ass Book Trailer

I am so happy to present this amazing book trailer! Check it out and take a walk down memory lane with me…

Book Trailer

Take a look at the trailer for my new book, The Complete Single’s Guide To Being A Dog Owner!

Pass it on!

Fun Day at the Silver Spoon Dog & Baby Buffet!

Pasqualina in pearls

Collar Wallet

Haute Puppy

The Complete Single’s Guide to Being A Dog Owner

Click here to buy the book!

It’s quite surreal to be holding this impeccably designed (I can say that because I didn’t design it) book in my hand and think holy crap I wrote this!

It’s been almost two years to the day since my beautiful friend Tara who was my book agent–we’ve been friends since 10th grade (think big hair and scrunchy socks)–called me to tell me that there was a publisher (Adams Media) interested in buying my proposal.

I have to say I barely believed her.

After working in Hollywood, “interested in” something is about as good as “I’ll call you”. So while I was excited, I didn’t even really tell anyone for a few days because I didn’t think it was real!

Gladly it was real, and soon after I had a contract and an editor. After the holy s**t-momentary freak-out that now I had to actually write this thing, I dove in! Even with my (self-diagnosed) ADD, I  just went into a zone. My whole life became about the book. No longer did I have to feel badly about going home early or not going out at all. I even went on a dating a hiatus! “Sorry, I may be 34 and single but I have to write.” No guilt, no second guessing. It was liberating. It was genius!

From July to November, while keeping a full-time job and of course caring for Bella,  I wrote close to 80,000 words.  The contract only called for 45,000– a number that I was so worried I’d never reach–but as I covered the items I outlined in my proposal to a level I saw fit, somehow the word count just kept growing.  I’d certainly come a long way since college when I spent almost as much time playing with the font, margins and spacing (to make my papers seem longer) as I did writing.

Me & B

With the book’s roll out just beginning, a publicity strategy in place, and parties planned, I bursting with anticipation and excitement. But underlying it all is a bit sadness that Bella isn’t here to live experience this with me. I know it’s great that I’ve commemorated her in print, but in some ways it makes me feel my loss that much more because the whole book talks about her and us in the present tense, and I miss thinking about her in the present tense. In French, the term I miss her, Elle me manque, literally translates  to she is missing from my life. And that is how I feel.

But enough with the sadness. I’m not a big one for dwelling or regret. Instead, I am gleeful about the book. I walk around with my copy like a kid with their blankie. And I am happy to have my sweet boy Ranger at my side to pick up where his sister Bella left off. As I type this, Ranger is lying by my side snoring away. He is pure love and canine happiness and I couldn’t be happier.

Now, go buy my book and tell your friends to do the same!

Dog Adoption F.A.Q.

In writing The Complete Single’s Guide to Being a Dog Owner, one of my goals is to take at least a tiny step in bridging the gap between rescuers and potential adopters. There are tons of dogs for adoption, tons of rescuers and tons of people wanting dogs, yet the adoption process can be challenging to say the least, and I hear about it from both sides…a lot.

Available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Border's

Potential adopters complain of  difficult rescuers, and frustrating, dead-end, even sometimes demoralizing adoption processes and yet I also know the plight of rescuers. So along with the book, I am starting a series in my blog of  DOG RESCUE FAQs; common questions about rescue answered to help both rescuers and adopters communicate more effectively. Because remember, it’s the rescue dogs who suffer when communications break down.

1. Why do rescues require applications?

Applications serve many functions including creating a record of where the dog goes and to whom. But an equally important function the application process is to weed out less than serious potential adopters. If you’re not willing to put the effort into filling out an application, then what other somewhat-inconvenient things are they not willing to do? Having a dog is wonderful, but it is also a series of responsibilities; the first of which is filling out that application! Now that said, I know applications can be annoying. So if you’re filling out many applications, keep an electronic copy of your previously filled out answers; in case questions are the same from one app to the other, you can cut and paste your responses.

2. Why do they home checks?

Rescuers do home checks not because they are nosy, but rather to make sure your home is dog ready. Many of the dogs we end up with have been runaways in the first place. Rescuers look for potential escape routes regular people probably wouldn’t notice, and they also look for other hazards- poisonous plants and or the precarious placement of precious items a new dog might knock over- dogs are often given back for destroying things. And finally, one big reason they do home checks is because sadly, people lie on their applications… a lot. They say their yard is fenced, it’s not. They say they live in a house; it’s a studio apartment. They say live alone; they live with their parents who are actually allergic and hate dogs. So it’s nothing personal against you; it’s usually a blanket protection policy.

3. How come they ask how old I am?

Rescue applications often ask for your date of birth because, while age is not always a perfect indicator of where you personally are at in life, certain life stages are more condusive to raising a dog than others. Hello I just finished a book dedicated to helping younger, single people care for their dogs. So,  if anyone does, I know young single people can be great dog owners. But it’s not always easy. Rescuers get so many younger people turning in dogs because they can’t handle or afford it. However, by communicating what it is about you that would make you better suited to care for a dog for the long term– you are in a stable job, or have the support of your family, or own your house,  or will get pet insurance, and or you would live in your car rather than give up your dog– you will have a better shot transcending the age bias of some rescuers.

On the other end of the spectrum, rescuers are also a bit reticent to adopt a very young dog to older owners because while older owners can make the commitment and spend lots of a time with a dog now, dogs live 10-15 years and rescuers want to make sure that dog is taken care of for the rest of its life. To deal with this problem, I always encourage older owners to demonstrate what they would do with a dog in case they encounter an unexpected health problem. This can be a simple as providing  contact information for who would take the dog in case of emergency or some dog owners even write out wills!

So that’s the first of my DOG RESCUE FAQs! I hope you find these helpful. I’d love to hear from you if you have a burning dog rescue question!

Who Says You Can’t Take Them With You?

Casper, Angelita & Gizmo in a Stroller!

Last night I stopped by a signing for a very funny book –The A-List Playbook– by E!’s Answer Bitch (Leslie Gornstein) at Barnes & Noble at The Grove.  The book event space (where I hope to have a book signing myself one day soon) is on the third floor.  I got on the escalator behind what I thought was a baby carriage. But as we reached the top floor, I realized there wasn’t a human baby in that carriage, but rather three cutie patootie dogs named Casper, Gizmo and Angelita. Their mommy was bringing them to The Grove for their maiden voyage in their new puppy stroller.

Gizmo seemed a little intent on exploring and getting outside the carriage, but for the most part the dogs were just happy to be in the mix! And while well behaved dogs are welcomed at The Grove, because there is a cafe at Barnes & Noble , dogs are not welcomed anywhere in the store. That is unless you sneak them in inside their stroller-i.e. no one noticed or said anything.

Ranger and Friend Auggie

Take A Picture of Your Dog

Bella & Her Bone

The weekend before Bella passed, I was lucky enough to have scheduled a photo session with Miss Elisabeth Caren (Elisabeth Caren Photography.) She is an amazing photographer who I also have the pleasure of being friends with. She does still photography on movie and film sets and she also does fashion and celebrity shoots.  Yep she’s pretty fancy, but she also is a devoted dog mom who has done amazing work photographing dogs.

With the book coming out, I have been asked for PR pictures and had been thinking about setting up a shoot with Elisabeth. But truth be told I’d been in saving mode preparing to take on the expenses related to promoting the book. But again truth be told, I’m terrible about denying myself something I want, I can be fabulously vain and also mostly I really wanted Elisabeth-quality photos of Bella. So I decided to blow my budget and go for the pics, and thank god.

Me & B

It’s hard to believe Bella would be gone just three days later.  Getting the pictures done with Elisabeth were both divine and as far as I’m concerned divine intervention. Elisabeth spent hours with us and took hundred and hundred of frames. She is so thorough and thoughtful. Take a look at a few of my favorites as well at some simple tips about to to take the best pictures of your dog!

SIMPLE BACKGROUND

Keep the background of your photo as simple as possible. Your dog should be the center of attention within the frame with no distractions or clutter. Nothing ruins an otherwise good picture like a random soda can, pile of papers or worse lurking in the background.

NATURAL LIGHT-FILLED BACKGROUND

One big problem with dog pictures is red-eye or even green-eye that happens as a result of the flash. To avoid this rather attractive phenomenon, take photos of your dog during the day in a well lit area.

DOWN ON ALL FOURS

Get down on eye level with your dog and make sure that you aren’t too far away. Your dog should be dominant in the frame. A picture in which you are either too far away or too far above the dog will flatten out their cute face.

A GOOD DOG MODEL IS A SEMI-TIRED DOG-MODEL

Getting a dog to sit still can be one of the biggest hurdles to taking a good dog photo. While you don’t want your dog to be so pooped that they can’t appear engaged or alert, you might want to think about running him or her around the block a few times to take the edge off. They might be more apt to sit or lie down for a picture if they’ve just expended a bit of energy.

Squeaky Toys Work Wonders

SQUEAKY TOY

God bless squeaky toys when it comes to taking pictures. These otherwise annoying inventions can make all the difference when trying to get your dog to perk up their ears. The look a dog gets when he or she is focused on something behind the camera will always deliver the best picture possible; that is, if

FAST SHUTTER

Even a tired dog will tend to move in the time between when you press down on the button of a digital camera and when the image is actually captured. For this reason, if it’s possible (OY, I know it’s just another expensive thing to add to the list), get a camera with a short lag time. This way the picture you take is the picture you get. If you’re not able to go out and buy a fancy and fast camera, pull out one of your old film cameras and use it. They tend to have a faster shutter speed and film can still be developed digitally so that you can share your photos… with everyone.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

Finally, remember that your dog is a dog. He or she isn’t a full-time model (most likely) and doesn’t understand how you can be so close to them and not be petting them. You might need to patient with your dog and practice a few times before you get things right. Whatever you do, don’t get frustrated. While they don’t understand your words, they will understand your tone. If you find yourself getting aggravated, take a break and try again in a few minutes. While pictures are important, you can always take more… just don’t take too long