Guest guest Posted June 2, 2007 Report Share Posted June 2, 2007 Animal-assisted therapy By SHOBA MANO The Star Saturday June 2, 2007 Dr Dog is a programme where dogs make weekly visits to hospitals, old folks and children's homes as part of an animal-assisted therapy programme. Now this programme is coming to Malaysia through the Furry Friends Farm (FFF), an animal shelter cum working farm in Kundang, Selangor. The Dr Dog programme was introduced by the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) in Hong Kong. Jill Robinson, who founded AAF, says medical evidence indicates that people who have pets enjoy lower stress and cholesterol levels, a stronger immune system and less chance of suffering a heart attack. Since the programme started, AAF has witnessed the dogs changing many lives. For example, two patients – an autistic child and a man suffering from senile dementia – who had not spoken in years, began to speak after several visits from the dogs. How it all started Robinson, who has been working in Hong Kong and China since 1985, found it increasingly difficult to ignore the pitiful cries of cats and dogs crammed inside cages at wet markets. " I began to shoot videos and use them to campaign against killing animals and wildlife for food and fur, " said Robinson. In 1991, she introduced the concept of " animal welfare through people welfare " when she read about animal-assisted therapy in hospitals across the UK. At first, Robinson's requests for her dog, Max to be used for therapy were turned down by Hong Kong hospitals. She persisted, and one day, the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital relented. " Max was not the least bit perturbed as the sceptical medical staff and media watched us, " recalled Robinson of her very first Dr Dog outing. A depressed and withdrawn teenage paraplegic, who was confined to his bed, was wheeled to the front. Medical staff did not expect him to participate in this trial project, but Max had other ideas. He went straight past the curious children to the boy, stood on his hind legs and placed his golden paws on the side of his bed. The boy's face lit up in a radiant smile. By the end of that session, Robinson was invited to return with Max, and the Dr Dog Programme was born. How it works Participating dogs need only be vaccinated and neutered. A simple test is also done to place the dog in the category most suited to its temperament before it is sent out each week to various places. The guardians only tag along. " My dog, Ocha, went blind after an accident. I took her to a school for the blind and the children wanted to know how Ocha found her food and water bowl. It was a great opportunity for me to share how intelligent animals are and the special senses they have which are far superior to humans, " said AAF honorary director Gigi Fu. Dr Dog here Meanwhile in Malaysia, the FFF's commitment to animals caught AAF's attention. They were so impressed by the organisation's work that they paid all expenses for two FFF representatives to train for six days in Hong Kong to learn about the Dr Dog Programme. One of those who went was Paul Choong, 50 (and his dog Joy). Joy was a stray dog that had been attacked by Indonesian migrant workers who called him haram. The attack, which was reported to have taken place at the Ki-Park Sri Utara construction site in Kuala Lumpur, was so violent that veterinarians were forced to remove his lower jaw. " I've accumulated a lifetime of heartache investigating animal abuse for 10 years in Malaysia, " said Sabrina Yeap, 43, a former animal inspector who founded the FFF and rescued Joy. Yeap has fought to prosecute those who splashed boiling water on dogs and confined cats for breeding in small cages where they were forced to sleep on their own faeces. " Despite all this, I've watched Malaysian courts give only token fines to abusers. Even worse, they returned the abused animals to their abusers. " FFF is keen to educate the abusers as Malaysian society itself is to blame for what happened to Joy. When animal abusers are not prosecuted or are let off lightly, what message does this send to the public? " she asked. The launch Yeap said there was currently no systematic education on animal welfare in Malaysia. Now that the FFF is launching the Dr Dog Programme, she hopes the government would lend its support by allowing them to visit homes for the wayward, prisons and hospitals so more people can benefit from the canine doctors. Choong, Joy's guardian, is one of those who has been trained for the purpose. " When I went to Hong Kong, I met Eddie, Robinson's Dr Dog. She had rescued Eddie from a wet market where he was about to be killed for meat. Eddie is affectionately called Wong Jai, translated as Yellow Boy, by the people he visits each day in Hong Kong. He is now an international star, having appeared with Robinson on CNN's Talk Asia and National Geographic's Dogs With Jobs. FFF will launch the Dr Dog Programme on June 9 at Central Park, Bandar Utama, Kuala Lumpur. A children's art contest and dog fashion show will also be held. " In view of the stigma faced by strays in Malaysia, FFF is inviting only mongrels and mixed breeds to participate in the Dr Dog Programme. " This is FFF's commitment to change mindsets and prove that these dogs are just as intelligent and loveable as pedigrees, " said Yeap. Photos: -Dr Eddie the dog visiting a patient in hospital with Jill Roninson -Sabrina Yeap, Joy and Paul Cheong. - Picture by Shoba Mano For more information on how to participate in the contests and the Dr Dog Programme, visit www.remembersheena.blogspot.com http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2007/6/2/lifefocus/17804047 & sec=\ lifefocus ....................... Lifestyle Focus The Star Saturday June 2, 2007 Feedback on Dr Dog Malinda Abdul Latiff 47, head of Partnership and Affinity Programs, Global Enterprise Division, Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd " I love all animals that I rescue strays and re-home them. " I have a very demanding job and at the end of the day I really look forward to coming home to my cats. Just feeding them and playing with them helps me de-stress. So I can understand the concept behind the Dr Dog Programme, where being around dogs improves the medical condition of many people. " Even though I'm a Muslim, I'm very compassionate towards dogs and it breaks my heart to read about cruelty to dogs. " I help, feed and rescue any animal whether it be a dog or cat. I welcome the Dr Dog Programme and hope there will be a Dr Cat Programme too for Muslims who don't want to participate in the Dr Dog Programme. " Dr L. Kumar, 39, general practitioner, Kuala Lumpur General Hospital " I still believe conventional methods of treatment with drugs must still be the first mode of treating patients. " Animal-assisted therapy comes afterwards to complement it. I myself don't know enough about such therapy to comment on it but I do believe that animals have a non-threatening approach. " They can be easily trusted. For people suffering emotional or mental blocks, such trust is needed to help them heal. " I feel it would be good for medical staff to be given some training on how to work better with patients and dogs. " I personally don't see any hygiene problem with dogs coming into hospitals. As long as they are clean, they will not pose any health threat. " Raihana Souket Ali, 28, investment executive at Kenanga Investment Bank, Kuala Lumpur " I think the Dr Dog Programme is just perfect for Malaysia. I myself know it works because I've seen my own cat, Yalli, work wonders on old people. " In my hometown in Bukit Mertajam, I used to visit a 73-year-old man who lived just a few doors away. He didn’t have any family and seemed so lonely. " One day my cat, Yalli, followed me as I walked over. The man immediately took to Yalli. When I went over next time, I brought Yalli with me. The man seemed so much happier playing with Yalli. " By introducing such a programme, we are also teaching people how to love animals. Even though I'm a Muslim, I love dogs as well as cats. " I hope that with this programme more old people and the disabled will adopt dogs too and care for them as there is a great need for homes for rescued animals. " Denise Pang Siew Mei, 40, executive assistant at an advertising firm in Kuala Lumpur " I feel it's about time such measures like the Dr Dog Programme are taken in this country. I'm saddened by the plight of stray dogs and cats in Malaysia. It is inhumane the way they are rounded up and killed and even pet owners treat their pets badly. " My only hope is that the government will support this programme so that there can be wide scale implementation in hospitals, schools and even prisons. " Corporations can also help by sponsoring the Dr Dog Programme to help Furry Friends Farm meet the costs of administering this programme. " Jennifer Naber, 27, staff nurse at Paediatric Associates of Dallas, Texas and founder of the Right Youth Ranch at Honey Grove, Texas, US " My husband and I are setting up a ranch for abused children and horses. We believe that animals have the unique ability to sense human emotion. " Several years ago when I worked as a nurse's aid at a rehabilitation centre in a hospital in Hendrick Medical Centre in Texas, I witnessed dogs coming into the hospital to provide animal-assisted therapy to senior citizens. " I definitely noticed that the spirits of my patients were lifted after these visits from the dogs. As a nurse, I noted that they were rehabilitated faster and their blood pressure and heart rate improved. " That is when I learned first-hand how therapeutic animals are, which eventually led to my husband and me opening up this ranch. " http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2007/6/2/lifefocus/17900610 & sec=\ lifefocus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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