Meet Cayuga County mental health clinic’s new therapy dogs

Some of the benefits of having dogs involved in therapy include reducing anxiety and depression. Research suggests petting an animal reduces cortisol and epinephrine while releasing dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, which mitigate the body’s stress response. It can also improve engagement by providing a level of distraction that helps patients feel more comfortable communicating about emotions and concerns, which ultimately allows individuals to be more open in therapy. That can also benefit a wide range of individuals, from youth to the elderly. This is a complementary addition to therapy that increases the diversity of offerings for individuals seeking treatment at our agency.

Kendrick and Midge were both trained at Certified Canine Services in Pulaski. Therapy training is kicked off with an intensive four-week obedience program that teaches and reinforces the foundational language used to communicate with the canines. Once all the base skills have been mastered, the training is tailored to the career goals of each individual dog. This specialized curriculum is another two-week program. The skillsets will look a little different for those working in a school or nursing home, making hospital visits or, in their case, going to work as a counselor or therapy aid.

Upon the completion of the six-week program, each therapy dog must ace the Canine Good Citizen test. This test certifies good behavior skills for the home and community, such as accepting a friendly stranger, sitting politely for petting, welcoming being groomed and brushed, allowing ears and paws to be handled, walking as directed on a loose lead, politely walking through a crowd, sitting, lying down and staying in place on command, coming when called, behaving politely around other dogs, reacting with confidence to distractions, and being able to be left with a trusted person.

Here are some examples of what clients and staff had to say about the canine staff additions:

“I just feel one paw and all my stress melts away,” said a participating youth.

“It helps with my emotions so much. She’s so comforting and is always so happy to see me,” said a participating adult.

“I have gotten almost all positive responses from people when she’s in the office, especially kids who typically spend the whole appointment on the floor playing and petting her,” said Stephanie Bizzari, psychiatric nurse practitioner at the Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center and Midge’s “supervisor.”

“Many people ask me before we even leave the waiting room if she’s here that day,” Bizzari continued. “Her presence has also sparked a lot of conversations about people’s pets at home and their overall importance to their lives, which wasn’t as common before the therapy dogs were on site. It is a nice way to build rapport and gain a greater understanding of people in the context of their environments outside of the building. It has also been a boost to staff to see them in the building. The vibes are always higher in the building on dog day.”