Therapy Animals Bring Comfort and Giggles
Collaborating congregation St. Philip the Deacon found a unique way to help volunteers bring their passion and skills into the experience of Families Moving Forward. Patti and Kathi are certified to lead Pet Therapy with people in stressful environments, which research shows can be a powerful support while navigating difficult situations. They share their story of bringing their licensed animals to the hosting week experience*:
The first time we visited with FMF over a year ago, we brought guinea pigs and a golden retriever. When we arrived, a little five-year-old boy ran excitedly to get his mom to meet my guinea pigs. He said, “Guess what Mom! Her guinea pigs know “Harvey” the white rabbit that we met last week – they are friends!” (A friend of mine visits at her church with therapy rabbits – like Harvey – for FMF). This little boy felt connected in the community of FMF because of these therapy animals that “knew” each other.
The children last week were excited to see the therapy animals, but before we started we did an active game to get them focused a little bit and then they took turns petting the animals and learning about them. For about 20-25 minutes they visited with the animals and were much more relaxed than when we arrived, enjoying connecting with them. They especially liked feeding the guinea pigs, which made them laugh, and snuggling up to Cooper the golden retriever. One of the little girls asked to hold “Toto” the pretty brown guinea pig, and under supervision she was very quiet and still, whispering “I love you” to the guinea pig. That same guinea pig was held by an at-risk teen in another program and she said that it was the calmest she had felt in months. Sometimes it is moments not minutes that mean the most.
When the parents came in to see the animals, the other handler and I were able to tell them what a good job their children had done and how cute they were with the animals, sharing some of their comments. The parents enjoyed hearing positive and specific feedback about their children from the guest “teachers”. One of the parents had a guinea pig as a child and was eager to share about her experiences with her first pet, too.
The therapy animal visits for Families Moving Forward help teach children about safety around animals, scientific and educational information about that species, and experience the human-animal bond. The MSP International Airport now has 70 therapy dogs visiting there just for the purpose of getting pet! Why would an airport add another layer of potential stress in an already stressful environment? The reason is that the dogs actually reduce stress in an environment. The same principle applies to visiting children in a stressful environment such as in a situation where they are sheltered with temporary housing. Research shows that children exposed to animals that they can safely interact with show more empathy, learn how to self-regulate more effectively, and have improved communication skills. Children who experience homelessness do not typically have pets, so really appreciate the opportunity to interact with the therapy animals.
Kathi and Patti volunteer with a non-profit with 160 therapy animals called North Star Therapy Animals, with members who are spread out all over the Twin Cities. Their website is: www.northstartherapyanimals.org
*Congregations MUST receive explicit permission from shelter staff at least one week in advance before bringing any animals into contact with families during hosting weeks. In addition, ALL animals must be certified therapy animals. Thank you for the understanding.
