Editorial Animal-Assisted Therapies Are Becoming More Common Walking around at the last ASPMN convention, I heard the usual types of conversation. How are you? How are your children? Do you have a new job? And how is school going? We all hear the same questions when we see acquaintances for the first time in a year. What I did not expect but heard a lot about was— how is your dog? The typical response to the question was for the dog’s owner to quickly show a cute picture of the dog. That was a first for me. My husband begged for a dog for six years. I asked, ‘‘Why?’’ He said that a dog greets you when you get home, licks you on the face, provides unconditional love, and is a good companion. For 6 years I told him I could do all those things for him. My biggest mistake was to go with him to look at a long-haired dachshund! It did not take long for me to see that my husband was correct. That got me thinking about animal-assisted therapies for people. Grandgeorge and Hausberger (2011) report that humans have a long history of relationship with domestic animals and that, more recently, pets act as ‘‘social substitutes’’ thru bonding. Domestic animals develop abilities to perceive and interpret human signals. It is generally accepted that dog ownership is associated with family cohesion and provides people with a type of stress-buffering social support. Dogs are thought to increase a person’s self-efficacy, thus providing a feeling of accomplishment or increased coping skills. Looking at the literature, I stumbled on animal-assisted therapy. Similar terminology includes animal-assisted activities, service animals, and trained dog therapy. There are slight differences with each name, but the main point it that the animals are held to high standards of training to assist the owner with some sort of activity or guidance. A study by Marcus, Bernstein, Constantin, Kunkel, Breurer, and Hanlon (2012) found that outpatients who spent time waiting in a clinic with a certified therapy dog had significant improvements in pain,

REFERENCES

Grandgeorge, M., & Hausberger, M. (2011). Human-animal relationships: From daily life to animal-assisted therapies. Annali Dell’ Istituto Superiore di Sanita, 47(4), 397–408. Dog Builders (2013). Trained Therapy Dogs. Retrieved October 15, 2103, from http://dogbuilders.com/therapydogs-for-sale/trained-therapy-dogs-for-sale. Marcus, D. A., Bernstein, C. D., Constantin, J. M., Kunkel, F. A., Breuer, P., & Hanlon, R. B. (2012). Animal-assisted therapy at an outpatient pain management clinic. Pain Medicine, 13(1), 45–57.

mood, and other measures of distress compared with outpatients who waited without a dog. The cost varies from $4,000 for a therapy dog to $10,000 for a fully trained service dog (Dog Builders, 2013). The United States Department of Justice 2010 American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for service animals notes a separate provision for miniature horses to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. These horses are typically 24-34 inches tall and cost between $2,800 and $4,800, depending on the type of breed. The ADA defines service animals as dogs (or horses) that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are considered to be working animals, not pets. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered unless these devices interfere with the animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents the use of these devices. Staff at any facility are allowed to ask two questions: is this service animal required because of a disability and what work or task has the animal been trained to perform? Allergies or fear of the animal are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service. Staff are not required to provide care or food for the animal. Service dogs America (http://www.servicedogs america.org) suggests the purchase of a service dog vest, plastic wallet card, and either an ‘‘Ask To Pet Me’’ patch or a ‘‘Do Not Pet Me’’ patch. Children and all adults are asked not to interfere with the service animal while it is working. Once the vest comes off or a command is given, the animal knows it is not working. Even then, ask for permission to pet the animal. Joyce S. Willens, PhD, RN, BC College of Nursing, Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania

http://www.servicedogsamerica.org. retrieved October 15, 2013. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (2010). Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disability Act. Service Animals Retrieved October 15, 2013, from www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm. Ó 2013 by the American Society for Pain Management Nursing http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2013.10.001

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