A Helpful History of Therapeutic Animals

By Susanne Pettit-Crossman

Humans and animals have walked side by side throughout time and, along the way, have forged a bond. Our historical union with animals, particularly the dog, gives new meaning to the word "heal" and adds perspective to the expression lending a helping hand when it comes to our four-footed friends.

Is there a Dog-tor in the House?
For centuries, animals, particularly the canine, have been revered as helpers and healers. The belief that dogs could cure dates back to Greek mythology and Apollo, sun god and supreme healer. To Apollo the dog was sacred and, through its association with Apollo’s image, the dog was also imbued with curative powers.

As the Roman Empire absorbed classical Greek society, its perception of the dog changed. Canines who cured were nurtured rather than sacrificed. In ancient methods of religious healing and the pagan healing gods, the significance of animals (dogs in particular) in the social structure evolved tremendously.

Thus evolved the cynotherapist, or healing dog, who could diagnose and relieve suffering. Dogs were now associated with the god of medicine, Asklepios, the blameless physician first mentioned by Homer (900 B.C.). His divine healing power was extended to serpents and dogs.

These real-life gentle, small- to medium-sized temple dogs would walk and lie among the worshippers and lick afflicted body parts. Those who were satisfied with their cynotherapist were encouraged to leave their testimonies prominently displayed in the temples. Reading like a faith healer’s homage were such claims of cures: Thuson of Hermione, a blind boy, had his eyes licked by one of the dogs and departed cured... a boy from Aegina had a growth on the neck and one of the sacred dogs healed him with his tongue. This belief is reflected in the French proverb, Langue de chien, sert de medicine (the dog’s tongue serves as medicine).

As Christianity began to make its mark, the Asklepian temples went into decline. There is no documentation to tell us the fate of the healing dogs who resided at these temples, but it is suspected that the wrathful Christian zealots either killed them outright or drove them into the streets.

Nonetheless, the legacy of the cynotherapists resurged in the Christian era. Who doesn’t remember the diseased beggar Lazarus, whom Christ resurrected from the grave? What isn’t widely known is that a dog was said to have licked the sores on his body.

In 13th century Europe, the Black Death, or bubonic plague, ravaged the land. A monk named Roch travelled about with his dog, comforting ailing peasants, until he unfortunately contracted the disease himself. While Roch lay dying under a tree, his dog headed off to a nearby castle and, day after day, helped himself to a loaf of bread. A nobleman who witnessed this thievery followed the dog out of curiosity. Back at the tree, the nobleman watched as the dog brought the loaf of bread to Roch and then tenderly licked his master’s sores. The nobleman was so touched by this act that he gave up his wealth to serve God. Today, St. Roch and his dog is an enduring proverbial reference.

Even in our modern times, there are reports of dog healers still at work. The British medical journal Lancet (April, 1989) published a case report of a middle-aged woman who was diagnosed at King’s College Hospital in London with a malignant melanoma lesion on her leg. She was first made aware of the problematic mole by her doberman pinscher/border collie dog spending several minutes a day sniffing it through her pant leg. This strange habit was further exemplified when the dog actually tried to bite the mole off one day when the woman wore shorts. Doctors concluded that the dog probably saved his owner’s life by alerting her to seek treatment while the lesion was still curable.

Prompted by this report, a Florida dermatologist and a retired police-dog handler embarked on a two-year project with a schnauzer named George. He was trained to identify correctly nine out of 10 melanoma scrapings. He then progressed to being able to find cancer samples hidden under bandages of volunteers -- which he did five out of seven times.

It is thought that with their superior sense of smell, dogs can identify the unique protein configuration of malignancies. But did the Graeco-Roman cynotherapists really cure people? A chemical analysis of canine saliva shows it possesses antibacterial properties, albeit minor. After all, it’s common and accepted that a dog will lick its wounds to heal itself. In ancient times, where antiseptic practices were unknown, having a dog lick an infected area might have been the perfect (and safest) prescription.

Time Tracks
The indelible dog’s therapeutic paw print continued to keep step with humankind’s history.

Both Pliny the Elder (first century) and, later on, John Keyes (16th century) hailed the benefits of lap dogs. These dogges were sought after by dainte dames and held in such high regard that they were wet-nursed by ordinary men’s wives for ladies of quality. These wealthy women walked around clutching tiny lap dogs to their abdomen to relieve minor stomach aches and pains. And those who felt they were going insane (men and women alike) would also carry a dog about with them.

But it wasn’t until the ninth century in Gheel, Belgium, that animals were introduced to benefit people with disabilities. Many Gheel residents extended family care to people who had disabilities (a practice that still continues), and, although it was not their main thrust, incorporated an important animal-assisted therapy program early in their history. Here not only dogs but cows, birds and other animals were used to influence and improve the condition of certain people.

In the 1790s, a remarkable retreat was founded by the Society of Friends in Yorkshire, England. William Tuke, a Quaker tea merchant, instigated the concept. He was very disturbed by the treatment of patients in what were then referred to as lunatic hospitals and asylums. Tuke and his partners sought out the services of an enlightened physician who was against the use of harsh drugs and restraints. Among the enlightened methods of treatment which promoted compassion, concern, love, understanding and trust was the involvement of animals, including rabbits and poultry. Patients learned self-control by caring for these creatures along with task-related projects such as gardening.

Florence Nightingale promoted the important role of pets in therapy in nursing settings in 1859. She noted, A small pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick, for long chronic cases especially... sometimes the only pleasure of an invalid confined for years to the same room.

In 1867, 75 years after the York retreat was founded, Bethel, in Bielefeld, Germany, was started up. Animals were a central and important part of the enterprise. Beginning as a modest retreat for people with epilepsy, it is now an extensive centre for the attending and treating of people with disabilities. Back in 1977, the Bethel program had about 5,000 residents and an equivalent 5,000 staff members. Not only were birds, cats, dogs and horses an integral part of the residences and work sites, but there were also other farm animals and a large game park.

Animals were first used in a hospital setting in the U.S.A. in 1919. Franklin K. Lane drafted a letter to Dr. W.A. White, superintendent of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., suggesting that dogs be introduced as a source of entertainment for the men to chum and play with. Lane had been inspired and impressed by the veterans of World War I: A poor insane chap could develop a great friendship with a dog... the lonesome boys in France found their dogs a great comfort and men with shell shock recover their balance by getting close to a dog. Even today, animal visits are routinely conducted at this hospital.

Another U.S.A. hospital that used animal-assisted therapy was the Army Air Corps convalescent hospital in Pawling, New York, in cooperation with the Red Cross. In the 1940s, during World War II, this centre received Air Corp personnel from all areas of operation. It was identified that these men needed a regime of restful activity, keeping their minds active while resting their bodies from a variety of injuries. Patients were encouraged to work on the centre’s farm with hogs, cattle, horses and poultry. They also benefited from the healing power of snakes, frogs and turtles. Unfortunately, it was discontinued, not for lack of positive results but as a cost-saving measure after the war.

The concept of the guide dog originated in Germany during World War I as a way of assisting soldiers who had become blind. A female german shepherd that was trained in Switzerland became the first seeing eye dog in the United States. Her name was Buddy and she was partnered with Morris Frank, a teenager who was blind and who had made the acquaintance of one Dorothy Eustis. Dorothy had penned an article in the Saturday Evening Post about Switzerland’s school, which Frank had read. Dorothy invited Frank to Switzerland to train with Buddy and later returned to the United States and founded her own seeing eye school.

After World War II, efforts were directed at involving animals in clinical psychology therapeutic settings. An accidental meeting of Dr. Boris Levinson’s dog and a child who was being treated by the doctor at Yeshiva University led to the eventual rehabilitation of the child. Based on this success, Dr. Levinson began to promote the interaction of carefully selected companion animals for facilitating therapy.

In 1966, after some advances in programs with pets and people with disabilities, a rehabilitation centre was established in Norway. Named Beitostolen, it was the creation of Erling Stordahl (who was blind) and his wife, Anna, who believed a new approach for providing therapy for people with disabilities was crucial. Dogs and horses were important components of the therapy regimen, which also included a physiotherapy and sports program. People who were blind could now ski and ride horses! Most impressively, 30 years later this successful program continues today.

Help Wanted!
Whether it be modern-day television and movies, with the likes of Lassie and Rin Tin Tin, or fairy tales and folklore, helpful animals are a timeless theme.

C.G. Jung noted that time and again in fairy tales we encounter the motif of helpful animals. In Jungian analysis, the helpful animal could transcend beyond humans in archetype of spirit. A dog’s dogginess would disappear and transform into an aspect of being human -- trying to communicate something through instinct. By far it is our canine companion that continues to carve the most illustrious history with humankind.

In medieval romance, the hero was often accompanied by a dog who served as guide, guardian and rescuer. And back to the movies: Even Dorothy’s little dog Toto (The Wizard of Oz) was a helpful animal, serving as talisman and protector. Toto, like Lassie and dozens of others, accompanied a young owner to a new world. Referred to (again by Jungians) as psychopompos, or conductor of souls, the dog both eases and naturalizes the transition from one place to another.

Through centuries, this role has never changed. Why, just think how easy it is to talk to someone walking a dog... or think of the stories we hear of a child with a disability finally being received with acceptance and full integration once a service dog is introduced into his or her life.

Whether interpreted as instinctual, superego, mind or body, the dog is often viewed as a human’s complement. Helpful animals are responsive, loyal and communicative to a fault. The Jungian analyst Marie Louise von Franz wrote that of all the animals, the dog is the most completely adapted to man, is the most responsive to his moods, copies him and understands him, and understands what is expected of him. He is the essence of relationship.

The image of the dog as a helpful animal is not limited to Greek mythology, charming fiction or folklore or an allegorical cliche. It takes on several invaluable forms in our modern world. Every day, service dogs, companion dogs and search-and-rescue dogs work with and for humans, bringing to life this relationship and purpose. Seeing eye, hearing ear and service dogs for people with disabilities of all kinds, pet therapy for seniors, or adults and children with autism or intellectual disabilities, have all become recognized forms of health care. Rescue dogs, police dogs... dogs who track, patrol, detect drugs... the list of dog duties is endless, and ever-growing.

The reason that the dog has remained the most popular healer and helper is perhaps due to one of its recurring and admirable traits: its fidelity and willingness to serve humans since the beginning of time. No matter what the situation or setting, animals, and particularly the dog, have played a remarkable therapeutic role throughout human history.

(Susanne Pettit-Crossman is a broadcast journalist/freelance writer, former host of CBC’s Disability Network, and a committed member of the Human Animal Bond Association of Canada (HABAC). She lives in Burlington, Ontario.)