Pets Help Children
Researchers Say Pets Are Good For Children
Earlier this week we had a story about Angel On A Leash, the partnership between Westminster Kennel Club and Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York. Other hospitals also use pets as part of their therapy programs. Certified therapy dogs are in big demand, especially to visit children.
But pets are good for kids who aren’t in the hospital, too. Researchers say that pets can be good for children’s self-esteem and self-confidence. Pets can also enrich a child’s emotional development, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. They say that children develop emotionally by being exposed to issues like reproduction, birth, illness, accidents, and even death and grief — all of the events and emotions we experience by sharing our lives with pets.
And, though we’ve all heard it before, pets can also teach children responsibility. It may be a cliché, but it’s true.
Researchers also say that children learn self-confidence from pets because pets give unconditional love.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a pet therapy program called Paw Partners. It brings pets into children’s lives to reduce their stress and anxiety about illness, injury and the healthcare experience by providing visits with certified therapy dogs trained to work in a hospital environment.
According to the hospital pet therapy
• Provides positive therapeutic experiences that help minimize the stress of the hospital environment
• Supports the overall social, physical and emotional development of the child
• Reduces anxiety and enhances coping skills by providing a distraction from illness and hospitalization
• Increases normalization of the hospital experience by making it more "home-like"
• Gives feelings of unconditional love and acceptance
Dogs must be at least one year old and have current therapy dog certification through Delta Society, Comfort Caring Canines, Therapy Dogs Incorporated or Therapy Dogs International, and, of course, have current vaccinations and rabies boosters.
All owners participate in an application process through the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Volunteer department, which includes an interview, health screening and orientation. All dogs are medically and behaviorally screened through the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania at no charge to the owner. Once the owner/dog team has been accepted into the program, assignments to various inpatient areas and further orientation are provided.
To receive more information on certifying your dog, or to receive an application for the Paw Partners pet therapy program, please contact the Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy department.
