Faces Light Up On Dog Day | Corewell Health

Twice a month, a special parade marches through the halls of Corewell Health’s Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

It always happens on Tuesdays. And the parade marchers are always of the four-legged variety. Along the parade route, faces light up at the sight of her.

“Not just kids,” Shari Duthler said. “The faces of nurses and staff also light up. You can hear them shouting, “It’s dog day!” » »

Duthler, office coordinator and primary contact for West Michigan Therapy Dogsworked with Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital to bring therapy dogs into the world of patients.

They visit emergency departments, hospital libraries, activity rooms and more, always with the goal of helping to calm and lift the spirits of young patients.

West Michigan Therapy Dogs was established in 2001.

“We currently have 170 handlers and 200 dogs in our program,” Duthler said. “Many are rescues and they range from a 3-pound Yorkie to a 170-pound Great Dane.

“Dogs are trained to provide comfort and not be disturbed by anything.”

This means that dogs do a great job in many different environments, where any variety of stimuli can compete for their attention.

Dogs used in pet therapy, Duthler said, are chosen for their easy-going personalities. They then undergo extensive training with their handlers, who are also their owners.

A recent study, titled “Effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity: a controlled trialpublished in Plos One, indicates that therapeutic human-live animal interactions can stimulate cognitive and emotional activity in the brain.

“Even the mere presence of the dogs encourages people,” said Adelle Cadieux, Doctor of Psychology, pediatric psychologist at Corewell Health Behavioral Health and Neuroscience. “You can see the behavior of children and adults changing instantly.”

She said her team even observes the calming effect of pets during teletherapy sessions.

Calming presence of the animal

“You can watch the effect on their monitors,” Duthler said. “Blood pressure and heart rate drop and smiles come out.”

The Plos One study shows that the benefits of animal-assisted therapy extend to nervous system conditions, such as strokes, seizure disorders, brain injuries and infections.

Although the study only used dogs, Dr Cadieux said: “We have seen the positive effects with most types of animals, even hamsters, lizards, cats, horses, all sorts of .”

Each animal has its own qualities and different patients might connect to a different animal.

Study researchers used a portable brain scanner to measure changes in the brain, specifically the frontal cortex, when humans interacted with dogs. The scans measured changes in blood oxygen saturation in the brain.

The brain stimulation increased as the dogs got closer to the human participant and intensified when the person petted the dog.

The frontal cortex of the cerebral area is involved in executive functions such as attention, memory, and problem solving. But it is also involved in social and emotional processes.

“When we bring our dogs to the emergency department at Helen DeVos (Children’s Hospital), we might see children who have attempted suicide,” Duthler said. “The dog handlers are trained to say nothing. It’s none of our business.

They let the dogs near the children, and the children often bury their faces in the dog’s fur, she said.

“Dogs don’t judge, they provide unconditional love,” Duthler said.

paws on fear

Duthler said the positive response becomes evident even in children who have had a fear of dogs. The masters spin the dogs around so the kids don’t have to face the dog’s mouth with all those scary teeth.

“They might stroke the tail first, until they feel comfortable,” Duthler said. “Then soon they are petting the whole dog. They overcome their fear. We see it again and again. »

Duthler said the dogs are also used with young patients who are drug resistant or in pain. The dog stays next to the child for two hours.

“It can take that long, but then we see the child stop resisting the drugs and take them,” she said. “We have the best concert in the world. The managers and I feel like we get more than we give.

The new study adds to a growing body of pet therapy research showing positive results in terms of limb dexterity; improved social functioning and interaction; reduction of stress, anxiety and loneliness; and better balance.