O’Hara adoption event highlights role of pets in addiction recovery

Dogs have a special way of bringing strangers together.

That was the case Sunday morning at DreamLife Recovery’s facility in O’Hara as about 25 people searched for a new furry friend from Tarentum-based rescue Paws Across Pittsburgh.

Mike Iwinski, lead therapist at DreamLife, sees this effect constantly in his work at the pet-friendly drug and alcohol recovery program.

“It’s almost an instant icebreaker, because everyone can play with it,” Iwinski said.

Entering a treatment facility can be a frightening prospect for some, but pets lighten the mood and build community, according to Iwinski.

Studies reveal that people’s bonds with their animals reduce stress, provide structure and offer unconditional support.

Clients at DreamLife’s residential facility in Donegal and outpatient space in O’Hara are permitted to bring most pets, provided they’re nonaggressive, up-to-date on vaccinations and able to be caged.

Snakes, for example, wouldn’t be allowed, but clinical director Brooke McKenzie said the center tries to find a solution in every case.

If bringing a pet along isn’t possible, the center teams up with Paws Across Pittsburgh to place the animal in a temporary foster home.

The nonprofit rescue’s Short-term Animal Foster Emergency program ensures that people’s pets remain cared for during life changes, like a medical emergency, divorce or entering drug and alcohol treatment.

McKenzie said having a pet can present a substantial barrier to accessing treatment. Few, if any rehab centers in Pennsylvania welcome pets.

About a quarter of DreamLife clients bring an animal along, plus some staff, according to McKenzie.

Pets are permitted just about anywhere, except for food areas, Iwinski said. If needed, staff will take clients and their animals to a veterinarian.

Iwinski noted that addiction can often isolate a person, driving away friends and family. That’s part of why DreamLife prioritizes keeping owners unified with their pets.

“Their pets are their strongest relationship at the point, especially with active addiction,” Iwinski said.

Morgan Mechlenburg, who coordinates adoption events for Paws Across Pittsburgh, said anyone can benefit from the “compassion and empathy” that pets evoke.

Matt S., a former DreamLife client, has experienced this first hand.

While he didn’t enter treatment with a pet, caring for cats and dogs brought by other clients had a therapeutic effect on him. He’d feed, walk and spend time with pets at the facility while their owners were away.

“It gives you another sense of compassion,” he said. “It’s easy to give that to a dog, because you receive that unlimited back from them.”

Former clients and DreamLife staff members — of which Rachel Walker is both — described pets as a mirror of sorts. By dedicating time and energy to caring for an animal, clients can learn to extend that same care to their own lives.

Walker didn’t have a pet when she entered treatment at DreamLife, but, like Matt S., she spent much time interacting with ones in the facility.

“It was playful, but it was also a lot of accountability,” Walker said. “It was like a taste of responsibility.”

The dogs don’t seem to mind it, either.

“It was like the dog had 50 babysitters at all times,” Walker said.

Now, she’s ready to have a dog of her own. Walker, a client liaison at the O’Hara facility, is preparing for a move from Oakmont to Aspinwall, and will have access to a nearby park.

Her eye was on a black and white shepherd-husky mix named Olive.

“Your pet is a reflection of your lifestyle,” Walker said. “It’s a sense of responsibility such as taking care of yourself in recovery.”