Understanding the Power of Canine-Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy has always captivated me, both professionally and personally. I've been dedicated to strengthening the human-animal bond to enhance the lives of both humans and animals, promoting well-being and emotional balance. As a canine behavior specialist, owner education has been central to my work.
My career began with working with people. I’ve worked with youth facing behavioral struggles, children and adults with disabilities, brain injury rehabilitation patients, seniors, and individuals experiencing mental health difficulties. My deep interest in the human condition and natural communication skills often placed me in positions of high responsibility, working with vulnerable individuals. However, juggling these responsibilities, raising young children, and always caring for a plethora of animals led me to experience mental health issues such as generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and burnout by the age of 25.
Navigating through my mental health challenges and recognizing the importance of self-care, I became more aware of compassion fatigue and learned to live a healthier, more balanced life. This recovery process involved a career shift. I transitioned my focus from people to dogs, studying canine behavior science and technology and graduating with honors. Surrounding myself with like-minded individuals, I embraced the simplicity and authenticity of dogs.
Although I love all animals, canines became the focus of my studies and professional work. My early experiences with horses, cows, pigs, rodents, reptiles, and birds enriched my understanding of animals and behavior.
Armed with personal life experience in mental health struggles, raising children, being a homeowner, and maintaining a marriage, I would be even better able to relate to and support my human clients. My education in canine behaviour combined with my previous years of experience working with people in-need provided me a unique skill. I could easily recognize the difficulties and struggles humans faced and how these struggles impacted their relationship with their dogs, and consequently, their dogs' behavior. While I absolutely loved working with dogs one-on-one, I quickly realized the importance of building relationships with the guardians of these animals. It was clear that in order to truly support or help an animal, I needed to connect with the human attached to them.
In the early 2000s, I had an amazing opportunity to participate in a pilot project with the Canadian Department of National Defense. This project aimed to support military veterans suffering from PTSD by assessing and recruiting rescue dogs and matching them with veterans. These teams met with me and a couple of other trainers two to three times a week for two-hour sessions, focusing on training the dogs to become service dogs for fellow veterans.
What transpired during those sessions was incredible, transcending typical dog training. Both the dogs and humans were broken, and together, they began to heal. I vividly remember receiving a call from one of the veterans who said he couldn't make it in that day because he was in a 'dark place.' My own mental health struggles allowed me to truly understand his statement. I can't recall my exact words, but they helped him feel less alone. With the support of my comments and his dog's presence, he found the strength and motivation to attend the session.
When he arrived, he was visibly struggling, avoiding eye contact, conversation, and movement. His rescue dog, Thor, mirrored his stress, panting heavily with tense muscles. The man found a seat in the corner of the training room and, as I typically did, I offered him a ‘Timbit’ from the box I had brought to class. It was clear he was far too stressed to eat. He simply shook his head and gazed at the ground. I decided to focus on calming Thor instead of directly addressing the veteran. I brought a soup bone and placed it in front of Thor, who initially sniffed it and turned away, too stressed to eat. I left them in the corner with the box of donuts and the bone, keeping an eye on them while working with other teams.
Over the next hour, I witnessed a transformation. As Thor began to breathe slowly, so did the veteran. As Thor relaxed his muscles and sniffed the bone, the veteran's posture changed, and his tension eased. Eventually, Thor began to chew the bone, and the veteran reached into the donut box for his favorite flavor. They chewed their treats together, observing their surroundings. By the end of the session, both the man and the dog stood up, stretched, and shook off their tension. The veteran thanked me, smiled, and waved goodbye to everyone as he left.
This experience was my first conscious encounter with the profound power of animal-assisted therapy.
Fast-forward 15 years, and I've not only become more adept at identifying and addressing the needs of my clients, but I've also had the privilege of being part of many incredible journeys from crisis to recovery for human-dog teams. Throughout these years, I've personally grappled with trauma and crisis, finding support and healing through animals. I've also had the opportunity to support family and friends as they navigated challenging times, aided by their animal companions.
Today, I offer a variety of services in my behavior practice, but canine-assisted therapy remains by far the most rewarding aspect of my work.
Learn more about canine-assisted therapy here: https://petintel.ca/pages/canine-assisted-therapy-cat
Please contact me by email if you have interest in these services. I am able to consult on projects and cases outside of the Ottawa region, however, I only offer regular one-on- one services within the Ottawa region.
For a more in-depth exploration of how humans can learn to relate to dogs, read my book, *Parenting Your Canine Child: How Behaving Like a Dog Can Make You a Better Human.*
https://behavelikeadog.godaddysites.com
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