S. Fla. treatment centers use animals
to help convalescents during recovery

South Florida Sun-Sentinel March, 2006

Tenzin Bijoux

By Daniella Aird
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Curious and spry, Bijoux padded across the bed to greet Sam Schwartz.

"This really breaks up the monotony of the day," said Schwartz, 85, as he straightened up to pet Bijoux, a 6-year-old bichon frisé at the Tamarac Rehabilitation & Health Center. "It keeps me from sleeping."

In a nearby room, Deborah Slutzah took a break from watching game shows to playfully pat Tenzin, a tongue-wagging Labrador retriever.

"It's the best therapy in the world," said Slutzah, 52.

According to a recent study released by the American Heart Association, canine contact is an effective treatment for patients. Researchers used therapy dogs in 12-minute visits with 76 heart patients at the UCLA Medical Center in California. Results showed lower anxiety levels and improved cardiac functions compared with visits by humans.

One-hour visits from Bijoux, Tenzin and other canines are a weekly treat for patients at Tamarac Rehabilitation & Health Center, one of several facilities across South Florida that offer animal-assisted therapy.

"We are finding out more and more how beneficial pets are to people with illnesses and other problems," said Debbie Mazur, administrator of The Pet Care Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, which funded the two-year study. "Pet therapy is definitely a growing field."

Tenzin's owner, Sachin Mayi, is executive director of a Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit group called Share-a-Pet. Mayi said pet therapy has become a growing trend as more people volunteer their four-legged friends to cheer up the sick and elderly.

"It's amazing what pets can do," said Mayi, 41, of Fort Lauderdale. "Every week we spend an hour [with patients], and the bond just keeps getting deeper. There is a tremendous need for pet therapy in many of these facilities."

Bijoux's owner, Anne Louison, of Tamarac, joined Share-a-Pet two months ago because her dog, with his frizzy hair and wet nose, can evoke so much laughter and joy that she couldn't keep him to herself, she said. Every week she tours the center, watching patients come alive at the sight of Bijoux.

"Some of these people can't remember their own name, but they remember the little white dog," Louison said. "It's the strangest thing."

Recreation coordinator Judy Melendez, who organizes the Share-a-Pet visits, agreed. "They just light up," she said. "They wrap up their leftover food to save it for the pets when they come. It's a great program."

Lindalee Macura, 15, of Coconut Creek, another Share-a-Pet volunteer, brings her Shetland sheepdog, Diamond, to Margate's Summerville Regency every Saturday.

"I love animals," said Macura, a freshman at Coconut Creek High School. "And it's nice to bring joy into other people's lives."

For more information about Share-a-Pet, call 954-630-8763 or visit www.shareapet.org.


Daniella Aird can be reached at daird@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2024.


Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel