Healing Power of Pets

Healing Power of Pets

Written by Lori Miller Co-founder of Animal Behavioral Consultants

I don’t think there is a person alive who has not had a smile brought to their face by the sight of an animal . Even you die hard so called non-animal people at sometime laughed at a dog running into a glass door admit it. You don’t have to be a dog lover to smile at a cute puppy , or a cat lover to awww at the sight of a tiny kitten at play grabbing its own feet like it had never seen them before, or gaze in relaxed amazement at an eagle as it soars and drifts over an open field. Be it domestic or wild most interactions between humans and animals bring out feelings in us. These feelings can help us deal with issues in our lives , or bring out something in us that was not there before. I remember being very young and learning to read my first book . I think I would try to read it to anyone who would sit still long enough ,and trust me The Little Engine That Could being recited by an emergent reader missing her front two teeth took some time to get thru , My mom would tell me “ Go read to Bessie” our 10 year old Pekinese. She was toothless, and had cataracts ,she snorted like a pig when she breathed ,she was also the best listener . Bessie never complained that I took to long to read a sentence ,nor did she make fun of my lisp . Her excited snort and occasional licks encouraged me to read more . Bessie and her patience got me to read , and enjoy reading. Bessie would also later go on to help me thru so many adolescent issues with a wag of her tail or a seemingly knowing nuzzle at the right time as if to say go on it will be ok you can tell me. Better than a diary Bessie would never tell my secrets. My friendship with Bessie also was the main reason I started working with animals. Bessie was born unable to use her back legs. This created some challenges in training her , but even back then I had no idea of the definition of limitations. I just approached trying to get Bessie to do something new as a challenge, and she was always willing. Over her lifetime (20 years) The dog that was acquired when my very pregnant and feeling maternal mom went to a Tupperware party, fell in love with a little dog that looked like a seal and when she heard the pup was going to be put to sleep my mom asked if she could give raising the pup a try. The woman agreed and that is when my friendship with Bessie began. My mom had raised handicapped animals and always told us they did not know they where different so don’t treat them different. Their disabilities just meant they had to learn differently from other animals and we would need to be more patient with them. I always remembered this as I tried to turn Bessie into the next Benji . Bessie never became the next Benji although I did send a picture of her to Joe Camp and did receive a autographed picture of Benji and a copy of his latest album. Music from the movie For the Love of Benji and a letter encouraging me to continue working with Bessie and to always follow my dreams. Ok I know now that it was the same promo packet they sent to everyone who wrote them our names where just filled in, and the record never played right because you needed a penny to weight it down , but at the time it was the most awesome thing ever written and sent to me and my best friend Bessie.

Bessie passed in my arms at the age of 20 not a bad life for the little dog that was supposed to be put to sleep because she was not like the other dogs. I was now a married woman and working with animals as my career of choice. Bessie had taught me patience and the true meaning of love and companionship . Working on teaching her and seeing her constantly amaze me with her ability to overcome her disabilities. She was able to do things no other dogs on our block could do like a little circus performer she would amaze with her repertoire of tricks , an undying loyalty and ability to love. She never missed a day meeting me at the gate after school, and I am sure she never knew she was different . Not a day goes by that her memory doesn’t makes me feel better to have had her in my life.

 

 

Why did I just take you on that Kleenex moment ? So that when I tell you the second part of my story you know why animals can be invaluable with their healing power. At the age of 32 I was informed as I lay in a hospital bed in the coronary care unit that good news I was not having a heart attack , I was pregnant. The whole pregnancy was nothing like the past two I had gone thru, but I was excited to be adding to my family . When James was born he was so beautiful. There was not one person who could go by without smiling at him, You could not resist awwww-ing at him as he played with his toes like he had never seen them, or just gaze upon him in relaxed amazement as he drifted off to sleep . I did notice that James was not developing like the other boys. Outwardly he was a big healthy boy , but he could not eat anything without vomiting, he did not want to be held and cuddled, he would cry a lot and there seemed no way to console him. He would gaze off and ignore that anyone was there, and never did he try to talk or babble. I was told repeatedly that it was just third baby issues and to not worry so much, but I have always been a true believer in never spoiling a child and trying to get them to be independent and wanted to see James interacting with us . Shortly after James first birthday we got the news. James was diagnosed with autism. AUTISM! I felt as though my legs gave out from under me. I was helpless . I had no idea how to raise a special needs child. I knew nothing about autism. Over the next few months I battled with depression going from doctor to doctor and having endless waves of therapists invade my home trying to help James learn how to eat , and talk, and walk. I started to read everything I could get my hands on about autism and each thing I read only confused me more. Until one day while at a seminar on autism research a doctor said “ These children don’t know they are different, and are just as intelligent if not smarter than neuro normal children. They just need patience and to be taught differently.” Those words clicked inside of me. So similar to what my mother would tell us about our disabled zoo when I was a child. I can do patience , I can do alternate ways of thinking to get a behavior ,and then all the therapy James was going thru made sense to me . I was finally able to start helping my child through his obstacles. It hit me at that moment that loving and caring for my son James was something I had been preparing for all my life. Thanks to Bessie , and the friendship my mother facilitated me , I did have it in me to be able to understand the things I needed to do for James. He would require more from me, and it would require me never thinking he could not do it, but just thinking how can I help him to do it. I have proudly helped my son learn to do things that come naturally to most. I have used my animal behavioral skills to try to understand James and guide him before he had the language to communicate to me ,with the help of animals being integrated into his therapy we where able to help him with speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Every pet in our home became a therapist helping bring out of James things he did not know he could do, and supporting me with their unconditional love and giving me encouraging nuzzles to remind me of what Bessie had taught me so many years prior. I can do it and so can James.

 

 James is almost seven as I write this and in a special class for children with autism at the local elementary . They call him the mayor as there is not one person who does not know James and his cheery “Hi guys I am here !” Every morning as he walks in , or laughed at one of his knock- knock jokes, or blown away by his math and reading ability. James is performing at an age appropriate level and is in the second grade. James does not know he is different , he interacts with others his age and has many friends. He has even been awarded for being one of the top readers in his grade. Oh and The Little Engine That Could is his favorite book too.. I hope that this story inspires families who are going thru the challenge of raising a child with disabilities to not get frustrated or think that their child is less capable of achieving any goal that any other child can achieve and I hope that those families who might be opposed to getting a pet while their children are young might reconsider. You never know how that little hamster, kitten , puppy, parakeet or goldfish can inspire you and your child and help them in their lives, as that little dog that snorted like a pig and looked like a seal , but with my love and patience overcame her disabilities , inspired me and gave me the ability to help my son overcome his .