If you’re a dog owner, you’ve most likely experienced the elation of coming home to find your four-legged friend just waiting at the door to greet you with a smile. Pets have so many unique and quirky qualities—chasing a tail that they forget is attached to their own body, nudging your elbow when they feel they aren’t getting enough attention, lying directly on top of you as you nap on the couch and showing love by using their tongue to provide an unexpected face wash. Dogs seem to have a handful of smile-invoking tactics and, with the well-deserved title of “Man’s Best Friend,” it seems that a pooch’s sole purpose is to spread happiness and unconditional love without asking for anything in return.
Dogs are amiable creatures; they are able to brighten the mood not only of their owners, but uplift the spirits of almost anyone they interact with, turning frowns upside down wherever they go. With a dog’s uncanny ability to alleviate depression and anxiety, a growing body of research has shown that animal-assisted therapy offers an array of beneficial effects for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
It’s hard for those undergoing cancer treatment to remain positive; worrying about treatment schedules on top of anxiety and pain becomes very stressful and lonely. By offering companionship and distraction from all of these worries, therapy pets are beneficial to the recovery and emotional struggles of cancer patients in a variety of ways:
• Kisses and cuddles ease their anxiety and elevate their mood
• Canine companionship offers comfort, thereby lessening feelings of isolation or loneliness
• Having an adorable pooch to play with provides a distraction from pain, stress or boredom
• Snuggling with or petting a dog helps relax the patient; snuggling with a soft, friendly animal can release endorphins that have a calming effect
• Looking forward to seeing an adorable face every day is motivating
• Patients who don’t like to talk about their disease can speak to a four-legged friend who listens, increases socialization and encourages communication
Dog behaviorist Cesar Milan once said, “Dogs don’t rationalize. They don’t hold anything against a person. They don’t see the outside of a human, but the inside of a human.”
In order to raise awareness about an epidemic that has affected women across the nation, the month of October has been named Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since the 1980s, research and awareness of the disease have grown immensely. Due to the support, love and concern of individuals across the nation, our knowledge of the disease continues to expand alongside the growing dedication of those seeking a cure. Upon examining the nation as a whole, it has come to light that the Suffolk and Nassau County population has a breast cancer incident rate much higher than the statewide average—approximately 13 to 18 percent.
Because recent studies show that the Long Island population has a breast cancer incident rate much higher than the statewide average, Port Washington-based Dan’s Dog Walking & Pet Sitting is hosting their Second Annual “Paws for a Cause” Fundraiser in efforts to further raise awareness and offer monetary contributions to promote further research. Every dollar raised goes to First Company Pink, a partner of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. As an independent, nonprofit organization, they are committed to funding clinical and scientific research in order to promote prevention before a cure is needed.
To support the effort, limited edition “Paws for a Cause” T-shirts are available for purchase at www.booster.com/second-annual-paws-for-a-cause-breast-cancer-research-fundraiser.
Learn more at www.danspetcare.com/therapy-dogs.
Alison has been with Dan’s Dog Walking & Pet Sitting since 2014. She loves going on adventures with her dog Maggie in the woods and playing with her on the beach. Heyman is an advocate for the use of all-natural pet products and specializes not only in giving animals the highest level of care, but creating educational material for her clients on how to best care for their pets with organic solutions.
