CVAHEC Student Project Reports

William Eward
Freeman Scholar Program

I am very grateful to have received support from the Champlain Valley AHEC and the Freeman family for my summer project. This project allowed me to combine two of my passions – 1) People and 2) Dogs.

It has been well-documented in veterinary medicine that hospitalized dogs who receive regular human contact progress more rapidly towards recovery from a variety of afflictions – from surgical incisional healing to stabilization of major metabolic and endocrine derangements.

So it was unsurprising for me to learn several years ago that the same can be said of sick people who are visited by “therapy dogs.” From reduced blood pressure to increased rate of wound closure to intangibles such as reduced anxiety, fatigue and depression, contact with dogs has repeatedly proven its merit in hospital inpatient wards, nursing homes and pediatric centers (not to mention homes).

Dogs love contact and seek it without prejudice against age, ethnicity, and physical ability; they have no language barriers. Visits from dogs can assuage loneliness and can provide a change from routine or a distraction from pain and infirmity.

Part of my summer involved expanding my own knowledge base about this field. It may surprise you to know that dogs are also used to alert epileptics of an impending seizure, to serve as ears for the hearing impaired, to participate in stress therapy for prison inmates (no, really), and to help children learn to read. This last use of dogs was novel to me, but has emerged as a significant part of my project. It is worth devoting some time to the topic.

The first “reading to dogs” program was called Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.). This was developed in 1999 by a registered nurse in Salt Lake City who was an avid therapy dog volunteer with an interest in reading education theory.

The purpose of R.E.A.D. was to identify children who displayed reading difficulties and to improve their self esteem, confidence, and reading ability by having them read to dogs. The program was a huge success and now 37 states have similar programs.

I first learned of the program from my mother, an elementary school principal in Florida. Her reading theory consultant recommended it as an essential adjunct to traditional programs and her initial skepticism was quickly replaced by sheer delight with the results.

In the prototypical scenario, the dogs (certified therapy animals) sit quietly with a child as she reads a selected book (or passage) aloud. Sitting quietly – but raptly enjoying the attention – the dogs provide a safe, non-judgmental audience for children and allow them to shift the focus of reading from fear of failure to communicating with an animal. For children who are shy, have difficulty concentrating, or don’t consider reading to be socially “cool,” this provides a fun and relaxed setting in which to bypass these concerns. Large-scale R.E.A.D. programs have documented consistent, and sometimes drastic, improvements in children’s reading and speaking abilities.

To this point, my Freeman grant has been directed towards the following ends:

1. Continued visitation of facilities with my own two certified therapy dogs (Baird 5 – pediatric inpatients)
2. Recruitment of people and qualified pets for training and certification as pet therapy volunteers
3. Certification as a Tester for Therapy dogs of Vermont
4. Veterinary advisor for Therapy dogs of Vermont
5. Promotion of the R.E.A.D. program for the Burlington region

I anticipate continuing this project indefinitely, particularly in the remaining months before our busy clerkship schedule commences. After fully exploring the R.E.A.D. program, my current efforts revolve around setting up such a program at two local elementary and possibly at the Baird Center for Families and Children.

Much of the summer was devoted to training to become a therapy dog tester, consulting as veterinary advisor for Therapy Dogs of Vermont, and spreading the word about the benefits of therapy dogs. But the fun part was the actual visitation, which for me (as well as dogs Eli and Verdi) primarily involved the Pilsbury Manor retirement home and the pediatric inpatients of FAHC Baird 5 (my personal favorite).

Monday was a typical night with an added twist at the end. Eli and I headed up to the children on Baird 5 and checked in with the child life specialist.

First we visited a twelve-year-old with third degree burns covering much of his right arm. His eyes lit up at the sight of a dog. He actually turned off the television and began to talk animatedly about his family’s dog while stroking Eli’s head. Eli settled next to his bed and we listened to the story of how he acquired his burn by playing with matches and gasoline. As we left, his mother followed us down the hall to thank us, stating that this was the biggest boost his spirits had been given since admission, and the most he had used his arm since receiving a painful skin graft.

We had a similar visit with a taciturn eight-year-old girl receiving radiation for a nasal tumor. After several minutes with Eli she began – much to the nurse’s surprise – telling us at great length about her hospital experience.

Eli and I left and were nearly out the lobby doors when an older lady asked us if we could visit her husband on the third floor, stating that he “missed his dogs.” After obtaining permission, we headed up to the orthopedic ward where her husband was receiving IV narcotics awaiting repair of a fractured hip and two fractured tibias sustained in a fall.

We could barely escape the ward without getting called in to the various rooms. We finally left, feeling very much like we had brightened several people’s days and hopefully helped with their recoveries.

This summer has made me only more of a believer in the value of therapy dogs to people. If you’re reading this report and would like more information, please contact me at William.Eward@uvm.edu.