Ed, a Bull Terrier, loves his regular massage sessions. Ed responds to massage much like a person does, so we decided to cover him in a blanket and take a video.
I have launched this video on social media as a promotion for gift vouchers for Christmas 2021. Dog massage is the calorie-free gift which supports wellness, relaxation, and can provide an early warning for sinister lumps and bumps. It helps arthritic dogs like Ed with pain relief and mobility and should be an essential part of any rehab program following an injury or surgery.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Earlier this week, two dogs in my practice passed away. As I was leaving one house for the last time, my human client said, “I wish we’d known about you sooner.”
I know it was said in context of a thank-you and while I wanted to reply, “so do I”, I opted instead to thank them for allowing me to work with their dog over the last couple of weeks to make him more comfortable. There was no need to make them feel more vulnerable (or guilty) at such a sad time.
The time for end-of-life and palliative care comes all to soon with our dogs – because they don’t live as long as we do. My real passion is health & wellness care, helping dog parents play ‘the long game’ through preventative health care and, if necessary, rehabilitation.
So I’ll finish this post on a high note. I also saw Blue this week. He’s been a regular since October 2017 when his Dad picked up a brochure for my practice at one of my partner clinics. He figured that since he used massage therapy for his health, Blue would benefit from it, too.
In the years I have been working with Blue, he’s developed arthritis and had one severe episode of breakthrough pain which saw him at the vets and prescribed NSAIDs. But since then, he continues to be a bright and happy boy. Ever so playful, usually meeting me at my car with one of his soft toys in his mouth. He is well looked after and taken for enriching activities including fishing trips to the Mackenzie Country and walks through the Heathcote Valley.
To me, Blue is a great example of health care – not sick care.
We’ve talked about when his time comes and what his Dad will do without his stellar presence in his life. But that day wasn’t today; I hope it won’t be for a while yet. And I hope I’ll be there to help him if his care becomes necessarily palliative.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Therapy dog sessions for stressed-out students are an increasingly popular offering at North American universities. Now, new research from the University of British Columbia confirms that some doggy one-on-one time really can do the trick of boosting student wellness.
“Therapy dog sessions are becoming more popular on university campuses, but there has been surprisingly little research on how much attending a single drop-in therapy dog session actually helps students,” said Emma Ward-Griffin, the study’s lead author and research assistant in the UBC department of psychology. “Our findings suggest that therapy dog sessions have a measurable, positive effect on the wellbeing of university students, particularly on stress reduction and feelings of negativity.”
In research published today in Stress and Health, researchers surveyed 246 students before and after they spent time in a drop-in therapy dog session. Students were free to pet, cuddle and chat with seven to 12 canine companions during the sessions. They also filled out questionnaires immediately before and after the session, and again about 10 hours later.
The researchers found that participants reported significant reductions in stress as well as increased happiness and energy immediately following the session, compared to a control group of students who did not spend time at a therapy dog session. While feelings of happiness and life satisfaction did not appear to last, some effects did.
“The results were remarkable,” said Stanley Coren, study co-author and professor emeritus of psychology at UBC. “We found that, even 10 hours later, students still reported slightly less negative emotion, feeling more supported, and feeling less stressed, compared to students who did not take part in the therapy dog session.”
While previous research suggested that female students benefit from therapy dog sessions more than male students, the researchers found the benefits were equally distributed across both genders in this study.
Since the strong positive effects of the therapy dog session were short-lived, the researchers concluded that universities should be encouraged to offer them at periods of increased stress.
“These sessions clearly provide benefits for students in the short-term, so we think universities should try to schedule them during particularly stressful times, such as around exam periods,” said Frances Chen, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor of psychology at UBC. “Even having therapy dogs around while students are working on their out-of-class assignments could be helpful.”
The therapy dog sessions were organized in partnership with UBC’s Alma Mater Society and Vancouver ecoVillage, a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic services, including therapy dog sessions, and mental health wellness services.
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