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Animal Assisted Therapy
by Straja Linder King

Until one has loved an animal… a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France
A faithful friend is the medicine of life.
Ecclesiasticus 6:16

Psychological Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy:

  • Increases self-esteem.
  • Opens communication (non-verbally)
  • Improves attention skills
  • Increases accountability/responsibility (caring, grooming and feeding)
  • Provides opportunities for safe touch and interaction
Animal Assisted Therapy
Health Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy:
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Lowers heart rate
  • Animals teach us about living in the moment--they help us appreciate what we are feeling now, rather than focussing on our feelings about our past, or worrying about our future.
Tumbra is Learning to Read ..... Imagine That!

Tumbra Reading Kiss
Tumbra Reading Down
Tumbra Reading Sit

Lord help me be the person my dog thinks I am.
Anonymous

Click here to see comments about Tangus' and Tumbra's work with children

Click here to see Lethbridge Herald Article about Tumbra

Kindred Spirits History

After the death of Kuzel, a therapy dog, who touched the lives of many and made a difference in Straja’s palliative and bereavement work, she volunteered her professional counselling services at a local pet loss support group, becoming the Director of Group Support. In 2000 for the Pet Loss Support Group’s 10th anniversary, she facilitated the creation of a huge community mural honoring and memorializing animal companion deaths. The mural hangs in the education room of Calgary’s new Animal Services building. Straja presented her pet bereavement program at a national conference in the Fall of 2003 and continues to educate and share her research in animal-assisted therapy and pet bereavement. She now provides a pet loss program called Kindred Spirits, held here at Spiritual Directions. For upcoming classes and information on Kindred Spirits: Healing the Loss of a Pet see the What's Happening page. or phone 210-2802.
There is little that separates humans from other sentient beings - we all feel pain, we all feel joy,
we all deeply crave to be alive and live freely, and we all share this planet together.
Gandhi

Suggested Readings


Smith, Penelope. Animal talk. 1982. Interspecies Telepathic Communication.
Fennell, Jan. The Dog Listener. Harper Collins Publishers, 2000. A noted expert tells you how to communicate with your dog for willing cooperation.
Bergen, Bonnie with McNally, Robert. Bonnie Bergen’s Guide To Bringing Out The Best In Your Dog. Little, Brown and Co. (Canada) Limited, 1995. The complete program to understanding “Dog Mind”and training your puppy or dog.
Graham, Bernie. Creature Comforts. Simon and Schuster, UK Limited, London. 1999. Animals that heal.
Becker, Dr. Marty. Harnessing the Amazing Ability of Pets to Make and Keep People Happy and Healthy. Hyperion Publishing, NY, 2002.
Fox, Dr. Michael W. Superdog. Howell Bookhouse, New York, 1990. Raising the perfect canine companion.

Fitzpatrick, Sonya. What the Animals Tell Me. Hyperion, NY, 1997. Developing your innate telepathic skills to understand and communicate with your pets.
Hillman, James. Dream Animals. Chronicle Books, San Francisco.
Peterson, Brenda. Build Me an Ark. 2001. Naturalist/human/animal bonds/biography.
Allen M. Schoen. Kindred Spirits. Broadway Books, NY, 2001. Read cover to cover- excellent.
Liana Urichuk and Dennis Anderson. Improving Mental Health Through Animal-Assisted Therapy. The Chimo Project, Edmonton, AB, 2003. Excellent and well researched.
"Animals are a gift to our world! What a blessing that they teach us about the human race--about being human."
Home Page ..... What's Happening ..... Straja's and Tumbra's bio ..... www.pets1st.ca
Spiritual Directions operates under the auspices of the Community Opportunity Foundation of Alberta
June 7, 2010 9:34:22 AM