Untitled Document

Four-legged doctors

Dogs an alternative cure
By Veronica Li

Courtesy of Animals Asia Foundation

Courtesy of Animals Asia Foundation

The elderly treat the dogs like their children. A walkathon was organised to raise public awareness of animal protection.

Apart from being men's best friends, dogs can be men's doctors as well.

Dr. Dog is the first animal therapy program in Asia. It is a kind of psychological therapy founded in 1991 by the Animals Asia Foundation with the support of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Winnie Luk, Hong Kong director of the Animals Asia Foundation, said, "Research showed that being in close contact with animals could improve the physical and psychological condition of people."

Scientists believe that closeness with animals has a natural healing effect in many medical conditions.
Miss Luk said that statistics showed that the average blood pressure and cholesterol levels of patients owning pets were usually lower than those who did not own pets.

The Dr. Dog program now covers more than 60 local organizations in Hong Kong, including hospitals, special schools, orphanages, detention centers, and centers for the disabled and elderly.

The professional dog consultants visit the organizations regularly and the devoted dogs help the patients, children and the elderly in different respects.

"Life in the hospital is boring and painful. The dogs bring lots of fun to the patients," said Miss Luk.

"Playing with the dogs diverts the patients' attention from pain and can make them more relaxed." For children in special schools, the program can help to build their confidence.

Said she: "Children with mental retardation or autism may not have many chances to communicate with other people.

"The program gives them a chance to play with the dogs and communicate with the dog owners. This helps to build up their confidence in social situations."

Besides patients and children, Dr. Dog also visits the elderly.

Jink, an 8-year-old English cocker, is one of the dogs in the program. Jink and its owner, Miss Elsa Siu, usually visit the elderly at home once a month.

Jink tries his best to cheer the elderly up by playing with them and showing them some tricks.

"The elderly like the dogs very much. Some of them may even save their breakfasts as presents for the dogs," said Miss Luk.

"Some of them, even those who are suffering from senile dementia, can still recall the names of the dogs after playing with them."

From the founding footsteps of one pioneer dog in 1991, the number of volunteer dogs in the Dr. Dog program has increased to over 300 in 2002. The number is still increasing.

More and more dog owners would like to join the program since they found that it is meaningful.

"The owners believed that it was more meaningful if their dogs could help the needy," said Miss Luk.

The life span of a dog is quite short, only about 15 years. Instead of staying at home and doing nothing, Miss Luk said some owners wish that their dogs could play with children, stay with the elderly, bring happiness to patients and make some contributions to society.

Before becoming a Dr. Dog, the volunteer dogs must be tested.

The test consists of two parts: a character test and a body check.

Since the dogs have to serve strangers in different places, they must be gentle and easy-going. A character test is used to behave if the dogs are able to perform well around unfamiliar people.

"The examiner will pull their tails and fur to test the dogs' tempers."

Once the dog has passed the character test. a veterinary surgeon examines it..

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Courtesy of Animals Asia Foundation	Courtesy of Animals Asia Foundation

The elderly treat the dogs like their children.	A walkathon was organised to raise public awareness of animal protection.
Apart from being men's best friends, dogs can be men's doctors as well. Dr. Dog is the first animal therapy program in Asia. It is a kind of psychological therapy founded in 1991 by the Animals Asia Foundation with the support of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Winnie Luk, Hong Kong director of the Animals Asia Foundation, said, "Research showed that being in close contact with animals could improve the physical and psychological condition of people." Scientists believe that closeness with animals has a natural healing effect in many medical conditions. Miss Luk said that statistics showed that the average blood pressure and cholesterol levels of patients owning pets were usually lower than those who did not own pets. The Dr. Dog program now covers more than 60 local organizations in Hong Kong, including hospitals, special schools, orphanages, detention centers, and centers for the disabled and elderly. The professional dog consultants visit the organizations regularly and the devoted dogs help the patients, children and the elderly in different respects. "Life in the hospital is boring and painful. The dogs bring lots of fun to the patients," said Miss Luk. "Playing with the dogs diverts the patients' attention from pain and can make them more relaxed." For children in special schools, the program can help to build their confidence. Said she: "Children with mental retardation or autism may not have many chances to communicate with other people. "The program gives them a chance to play with the dogs and communicate with the dog owners. This helps to build up their confidence in social situations." Besides patients and children, Dr. Dog also visits the elderly. Jink, an 8-year-old English cocker, is one of the dogs in the program. Jink and its owner, Miss Elsa Siu, usually visit the elderly at home once a month. Jink tries his best to cheer the elderly up by playing with them and showing them some tricks. "The elderly like the dogs very much. Some of them may even save their breakfasts as presents for the dogs," said Miss Luk. "Some of them, even those who are suffering from senile dementia, can still recall the names of the dogs after playing with them." From the founding footsteps of one pioneer dog in 1991, the number of volunteer dogs in the Dr. Dog program has increased to over 300 in 2002. The number is still increasing. More and more dog owners would like to join the program since they found that it is meaningful. "The owners believed that it was more meaningful if their dogs could help the needy," said Miss Luk. The life span of a dog is quite short, only about 15 years. Instead of staying at home and doing nothing, Miss Luk said some owners wish that their dogs could play with children, stay with the elderly, bring happiness to patients and make some contributions to society. Before becoming a Dr. Dog, the volunteer dogs must be tested. The test consists of two parts: a character test and a body check. Since the dogs have to serve strangers in different places, they must be gentle and easy-going. A character test is used to behave if the dogs are able to perform well around unfamiliar people. "The examiner will pull their tails and fur to test the dogs' tempers." Once the dog has passed the character test. a veterinary surgeon examines it..