- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- Using Music and Sports to Improve Kids' Asthma
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Hypnosis Cuts Hot Flashes for Breast Cancer Survivors
- Licorice May Block Absorption of Organ Transplant Drug
- Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory
- ANIMAL CARE
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- More Faces Being Spared in Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Get in Step With Summer Foot Care
- Most Kids With Type 1 Diabetes Lack Vitamin D
- CANCER
- Drinking Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer
- Many Cancer Patients Turn to Complementary Medicine
- Wristbands May Lessen Nausea After Radiation
- CAREGIVING
- Falls Are Top Cause of Injury, Death Among Elderly
- Early Exercise Boosts Outcomes for ICU Patients
- Reduce Suffering, Urge Heart Failure Patients and Caregivers
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Obesity Linked to Heart Failure Risk
- Walk 100 Steps a Minute for 'Moderate' Exercise
- COSMETIC
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Most Insured Adults Worry About Health Care Costs: Poll
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- Good Oral Hygiene May Protect Against Heart Infections
- DIABETES
- Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk
- Spices, Herbs Boost Health for Diabetics
- Coffee, Tea Might Stave Off Diabetes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Eating More Soy May Be Good For Your Lung Function
- Mediterranean Diet Helps Protect Aging Brain
- Most Fast-Food French Fries Cooked in Unhealthiest Oil
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Prenatal Exposure to Traffic Pollution May Lead to Asthma
- Smog Tougher on the Obese
- Smog Standards Need Tightening, Activists Say
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Drinking Green Tea May Protect Eyes
- Don't Lose Sight of Halloween Safety
- Just Like Skin, Eyes Can 'Burn' in Strong Sun
- FITNESS
- After a Stroke, Light Exercise Gets Hands, Arms Working Again
- Walking Golf Course Affects Swing, Performance
- Exercise in Adolescence May Cut Risk of Deadly Brain Tumor
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Why Am I So Tired? Could It Be Low Thyroid?
- Eating Healthy : You Can Live Longer
- Smog Tougher on the Obese
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Dark Chocolate May Lower Stroke Risk
- Ginkgo Won't Prevent Heart Attack, Stroke in Elderly
- Too-Low Blood Pressure Can Also Bring Danger
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- More Medicinal Uses for Pomegranate
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- KID'S HEALTH
- Standard IQ Test May Underestimate People With Autism
- Exercise in Adolescence May Cut Risk of Deadly Brain Tumor
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Teen Internet Addicts More Likely to Self-Harm: Study
- Mind Exercise Might Help Stroke Patients
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- PREGNANCY
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- Before Conceiving, Take Folic Acid for One Full Year
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- SENIORS
- Eating Well And Keeping Active As You Grow Old Will Help You Stay Sharp
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- High-Impact Activity May Be Good for Old Bones
'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
By eholistic.com Published: 03/19/2010
Dogs perform lifesaving jobs every day. They sniff out bombs, locate lost children and even find people buried by avalanches.
Now another type of specially trained working dog has emerged in recent years. Comfort dogs come to the emotional rescue of people who are suffering in the aftermath of disasters or battling the difficulties of daily life.
Their job is deceptively simple: to get people to open up and talk about what happened.
Amy Rideout, president of HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, a national organization with more than 100 certified dog-handler teams, said engaging in a discussion about an experience is healing and helps a person to overcome a traumatic event.
There are other health benefits the pooches provide. Research has shown the simple act of petting a dog helps to lower blood pressure, lift spirits and reduce stress.
"There are not too many things that we can do that can make an instantaneous impact on somebody, so this is special work," she said.
To become certified with HOPE, dog-handler teams must go through 40 hours of basic training, then tackle specialized coursework such as learning crisis intervention skills and the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) incident command system, as well as participating in mock disaster drills. Dogs are painstakingly desensitized to sights, sounds and smells typically encountered during a disaster. And all teams are recertified yearly.
Members of HOPE have responded to some of the decade's worst tragedies, including Hurricane Katrina and the Virginia Tech school shootings.
After 9/11, Rideout and her hound, Janie, were sent to a family assistance center in New York City to support families who had lost a loved one. But surprisingly, she said, it was the stressed-out emergency responders who seemed to need her and Janie the most.
"Those were the folks who would come up to Janie and give her a big bear hug and say, 'Thank you. I needed that before I went back to work today,'" she recalled.
Not all comfort dogs are used to help people emotionally cope after disaster strikes.
Meet Fuerst. Every weekday morning around 9 a.m., Pastor Tim Engel drives his faithful canine partner to work at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Portage, Ind.
Fuerst is one of nearly 30 Golden Retrievers permanently placed at churches throughout Indiana and Illinois by Lutheran Church Charities, a national ministry.
"His job is to help open up opportunities for conversations and Christian ministry that otherwise wouldn't happen," explained Engel.
The retriever has been at Holy Cross for a little more than a year now.
Fuerst -- the German word for prince -- goes everywhere with pastor Engel, from visiting nursing homes and emergency hospital rooms to attending Sunday service.
"Not everybody sees the value of [Fuerst] like I do," he admits. "But the majority of the members look forward to seeing him on Sunday morning and they understand his function in our church."
Like others in the K9 Parish Comfort Dog Ministry, Fuerst has his own business card. On the front are his picture and the church's phone number; on the back is his job description. The business cards are frequently handed out in the community, he said.
On occasion, people have phoned the church to schedule a private meeting with Fuerst -- and only Fuerst.
Engel laughs recalling some of those requests but insists that he isn't offended.
"If the dog provides comfort for people and is something that makes them feel more at ease then the dog is doing his job," he said.
SOURCES: Amy Rideout, president, HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response; Timothy Engel, pastor, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Portage, Ind.
Last Updated: March 18, 2010
