Quake shows value of pets in calming panicked, high-strung children

While a 5.6-magnitude earthquake was rocking Jamaica last Monday, a team from True Pet Food happened to be in the middle of a free pet therapy session on the grounds of Hillel Academy in St Andrew. The session was geared towards introducing this modern technique of using animals to get children, especially those who are often hyperactive and those suffering from frequent panic attacks, to easily become and remain calm when troubled.

Immediately after the earthquake took place, the therapists on location for the session saw it as the perfect opportunity for them to put their studies in action.

During a Parenting on Purpose Seminar, held yesterday at the AC Marriott Hotel in St Andrew, the therapists’ actions were praised. Mothers, some of whom were panellists, reckoned that pet therapy and treatment is a modern technique both the Government, through the Ministry of Education and Youth, and the private sector should invest more into for the treatment of children, especially those with special needs, who are hypertensive, and whose motor skills need to be improved. They believe it will also assist children who need to develop emotional connections and learn not to constantly react harshly to their peers.

Shevoneese McFarlane, digital sales and marketing coordinator, True Pet Food, who was on location at Hillel Academy as last week’s quake took place, recalled the children screaming and dogs brought on location for the session being given to them to cuddle.

“It went really well. We were with prep school students from grades one to four ... . They were having their fire drill, and then the actual earthquake happened, so a lot of the kids were distraught and traumatised,” McFarlane told The Gleaner.

“After the earthquake, many of the children ran out of their classes, screaming and crying, and I figured that all of the training they had before flew out of their heads ... so there was a space at the front in the waiting area. So what we did was to set up our therapy area with grass mats, pillows, and anxiety music playing and had the puppies running up and down. They were really high energy, so the puppies were really happy to see the kids and playing, and both dogs and kids had a great time,” she said.

Coping skills

One of the practitioners in Jamaica, who is championing the cause for local pet therapy, is Dr Georgia Rose, clinical psychologist and mother of three.

During the Parenting on Purpose Seminar, Rose spoke on the topic TRUEly PAWsitive Influence of Pets on Children, where she noted that pet therapy can greatly assist children with regulating emotions.

“Pets bless our children with the capacity to develop adaptive coping skills ... . I think all animals teach you, from my point of view, because whether you have a dog who is very engaging or you have a turtle, or you have a fish, each pet is going to bring something, and there are animals that have more personality than others, and what the child is looking for, they can find the personality ... and not every pet is for every child, so you don’t want to force something on to a child,” Rose said.

“You have to find out the personality of a child and their emotive needs, and let’s also be fair, what are the needs of the pets because if you have a pet that is very low energy, very mellow, doesn’t like to be bothered, and you have a very high-energy child, that may not be a good mix,” she said.

Rose also highlighted that pet therapy is used overseas in developed countries, in penal institutions, to teach inmates to be more responsible and to develop healthy emotions before being released back into their societies.

During the session, moderator Michelle Gordon used the example of the coincidental pet therapy session at Hillel Academy a week ago to ask how more could be invested in pet therapy for the treatment of children who need it most in Jamaica.

“People need to know [about pet therapy], and something that True Pet Food does with the pet therapy, I’m sure at the end of every session with a school, children [who do not have pets] are going to be going home to say, ‘Mommy/Daddy, can I get a pet?’ because it changes their perspective [on life],” Gordon said.

“It [pet therapy] speaks more to pets helping our children when parents aren’t physically around. Pets can do some of that work,” she said.

Gordon also noted that Jamaica has many stray dogs and animals stuck in shelters that can be adopted by families for pet therapy, which can be an easy fix for many emotionally troubled youth islandwide.

Next Sunday, at the True Pet Expo, which will be held on the lawns of Hope Gardens, there will be more pet therapy sessions and other activities geared towards teaching people the importance of animals in the lives of humans,and how they can help with the overall health and well-being of humans.

Some of the other topics discussed at the Parenting on Purpose Seminar were: Child Lifestyle Health & Mental Wellness, PROVEN For Every Step, Leaving a Lasting Legacy Through Estate Planning, Understanding Hearts & Homes: Single Parents and Dating, What Every Parent Needs To Know About Sexual Grooming, Anger Management & Conflict Resolution Begins at Home, and Balancing Parenting and Personal Ambitions.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com