Canines lift
spirits
By Kristine Berey
Ralph the dog’s lengthy resumé could compete with any
human’s. The award-winning therapy animal
has been featured on television, radio and in
newspapers, including The Gazette, The Suburban and Journal de Montréal.
“It hasn’t
gone to his head,” said Ralph’s proud owner, Sarita Elman. “He
still loves everybody.”
Things didn’t
always look so good for Ralph. Elman, a retired television news producer,
picked Ralph up on a country road in the Laurentians in 1994. “He ran
in front of the car,” Elman recalled. “He had been abandoned.”
At first, the six-month old terrier mix was difficult to handle, being
completely untrained and unruly. “ He didn’t know the difference
between grass and the carpet,” Elman recalled.
“He was
hell on wheels.”
Elman took
Ralph’s overly excited nature in stride. She already had a dog,
Max, who had been battered and had wound up at the SPCA. “He was afraid
of everything and had been very badly kept. His fur was all matted,”
Elman said.
It was Max
who showed Elman that an animal treated with patience and kindness can become
a wonderful companion, even if previously mistreated. Her philosophy regarding
dog training, to “ raise your voice and not your hand,” had paid
off before.
At the time
that Ralph was found, Elman had already been visiting geriatric patients with
Max. A year later, she decided to take Ralph along.
While Max was
a “natural” therapy animal, Elman wasn’t as confident about
Ralph, who was excitable and a barker. “I wasn’t sure, but he
showed me he was fine,” Elman said.
An animal used
in therapy has to have an even temperament, must like people, must like being
held and can’t get upset at loud human sounds, like yelling or crying.
They must not be afraid of the sights and sounds of wheelchairs and walkers,
Elman explained.
“Once
we were in the hospital, Ralph just knew what to do,” she said, guessing
that the younger dog learned from the older one. “As I was walking with
him I said ‘ssh’. He didn’t pull on the leash, he just walked
his princely little walk.”
Although Max
has died since, Ralph continues to go to the hospital with Elman and Bella,
the new member of the family. “We go as much as possible, two days a
week for two hours,” Elman said. Eight and a half years have passed
since that first visit.
While initially
they were seeing only geriatric patients, their rounds now include by popular
request, visits on many floors of the hospital. They visit staff in intensive
care and patients on different floors, some recovering from surgery, at the
Montreal General Hospital. “Patients adore it,” Elman said. “They
always have a story to tell about a dog that they’ve had.”
The animal
is kept on a leash at all times. Only about 2 per cent of people decline to
touch the animals, usually people who have grown up with the idea that an
animal belongs outside, Elman said.
“Pet
therapy is used in psychiatry to get people to focus. It is also very calming,
and helps lower blood pressure,” she explained.
Elman believes
that pet therapy can play a part in the healing process. “I think dogs
humanize a hospital. You see people visibly relax. When you pat an animal
you get a very positive, warm and fuzzy feeling. You can’t get a negative
feeling, it can’t get in there.”
Elman says
her dogs love going to visit patients and feels that she benefits from it
as well.
“It’s
exceedingly heartwarming,” Elman said. “20 paces away down the
corridor, people start beaming. I see that my dogs put smiles on their faces
and I get hundreds of blessings.”
[photo caption]
Sarita Elman with volunteers, Ralph and Bella
