The Power of Pets

By Maggie Allen

In times of stress and sadness, what cheers people up? It can be hard to pull yourself out of a funk, but if the view counts on YouTube are anything to go by, watching pets is a good place to start.

It’s a known fact that animals can make us smile, but many people don’t realize that there are health benefits to keeping them as well. According to the CDC, people who own pets tend to have decreased blood pressure, cholesterol, and feelings of loneliness, but report increased opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities, and socialization. This has been shown across many demographics, but especially those who are older, more isolated, or struggling with mental health.

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B onding with an animal can also offer a greater sense of purpose, because even the most well-behaved pets need a lot of care and attention. Pets of all kinds are waiting in shelters or foster homes, all vying against each other for the chance to be adopted into a loving home. I have adopted two skittish cats from shelters in my area, because their shyness was making it harder for them to be noticed. I had the feeling that their true personalities would shine through in time, with their own space to feel comfortable and safe. Seeing them warm up to me since then has been so rewarding. One of them has even proven to be a serial cuddler, something I never knew a cat could

P ets provide a sense of unconditional love and support that might feel lacking in other relationships, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have to be earned. Like people, some animals had rough starts in life, being abandoned, neglected, or mistreated. Forming a connection might be gradual, way slower than you would like. But giving them another chance can be rehabilitative for more than just the pet.

Prison programs are a great example. The Florida Department of Corrections is utilizing a Teaching Animals and Inmates Life Skills (TAILS) program, pairing at-risk dogs with institutionalized men. Most of these dogs were seized from dog-fighting, abusive or hoarding environments, or were otherwise awaiting euthanasia. Both the dogs and prisoners are screened for serious behavioral problems or offenses before they can enter the

program. Once there, the men assist with training the dogs, and in the process, get to interact and play with them.

Many prisoners see themselves in these dogs, and can provide them with the second chance that they themselves might have felt denied. The inmates can tangibly feel that it makes a difference. One-on-one attention and training does wonders for the animals. Canine aggression and behavior expert Jim Crosby tells a story of a Pit bull named Cuddles, who was seized as part of a dog-fighting arrest in Canada, but was then deemed too dangerous to be placed in a home.

“Cuddles, who had the full battle scars of a dog that had experienced the viciousness of a fighting ring, went to rehab training before she was entered into the TAILS program where she graduated with top honors and earned a Canine Good Citizen title”, Crosby said. “She is now an emotional support dog for a 73-year-old retired firefighter and veteran living in Cornwall, New Jersey, while six of the other dogs who were once sentenced to death now work with law enforcement throughout Florida as detector dogs for bombs and drugs,” Crosby said.

There are similar programs for cats as well. In 2015, the Animal Protection League (APL) started the F.O.R.W.A.R.D. program in Indiana’s Pendleton Correctional Facility. The initiative was to take cats from a shelter and place them in the correctional facility. Inmates could learn how to take care of them, while the cats would become more social and trusting towards humans.

In many cases, the effect was twofold. “I’ve had offenders tell me when they got an animal, it was the first time they can remember they were allowing themselves to care about something, to love something,” said the director of APL, Maleah Stringer.

Prisons across the United States have instituted programs that pair inmates with animals in need. One of the oldest prison pet programs in the U.S., beginning in 1981, is the Prison Pet Partnership Program, at the Washington State Corrections Center for Women. A collaboration between Washington State University, Tacoma Community College, and Dominican nun Sister Pauline, the program trains inmates to raise puppies and socialize them for service to disabled people. Dogs that can’t succeed at service training are taught obedience and offered up for public adoption instead.

Right from the beginning, the program reduced the rate of recidivism among inmates who participated for at least two years. It also serves as vocational training, allowing inmates to earn certification in pet training and grooming.

There are programs for dogs and cats, but what about one for horses? In order to stabilize the growing numbers of America’s wild horses, the federal Bureau of Land Management is adopting them out, working with the Arizona Department of Corrections and Colorado Correctional Industries on the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP). Professional horse trainers supervise and instruct inmates in gentling and training horses, which then become available for adoption after they’ve completed the program.

What about even less traditional pets? Inmates at the Norfolk County Jail in Dedham, Massachusetts, work with birds, raccoons, foxes, and other animals in need at the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth. The program, launched in 2014 by Sheriff Michael Bellotti, allows inmates to help care for sick and injured animals. This helps them cultivate stronger compassion, and a respect for nature as a whole.

If you are out of prison, but you absolutely cannot own a pet right now, fear not! There are opportunities everywhere to be around animals. You could volunteer at a shelter or humane society, cleaning up after cats or dogs and helping them socialize with people. In a similar vein, volunteer at a zoo, sanctuary, or petting farm, where the workers teach visitors about traditional and exotic animals. There are also animal conservationist groups, with opportunities to go abroad and do some good for the global effort. You could also apply to become a pet sitter or dog walker, depending on your exact criminal history. If that doesn’t work out, offer to help friends and family with their pets.

At the end of the day, bonding with animals can mean many things. Some will be excitable, or cuddly, while others are more aloof, content to keep you company nearby. Their personalities are extremely varied, and you should always do your research on species and breeds, finding the ones that suit you and your lifestyle best. They can be expensive to keep, especially if their behavioral or medical issues need ongoing treatment.

But with that said, companion animals can do wonders for the humans in their lives. Loving them, and being loved by them, can heal and grow you in ways that you don’t expect. My cats tend to exasperate me. I wish they would leave my furniture alone, and stop knocking things over when they wrestle and chase each other. But I have yet to have a day where I don’t feel loved and needed by them, and when I am feeling my absolutely lowest, they always seem to know and step in. On my face.

Yes, literally, they will try to walk on my face. But it’s the thought behind it that really counts.