FIELDS AFIELD

Part Two

By Maxine Reed

I was interested in training my first Field Spaniel for pet therapy work the minute I learned that there was such an activity. My initial motivation was primarily anger--the slow burning, well-nourished anger that developed over a period of several years as the parent of a frequently hospitalized child.

For nursing home and hospital work you’ll need a strong stomach and the ability to look at something upsetting without really seeing it. If you are not already in a health-related field, no matter how good your training program may be, nothing will prepare you for the impact of the real thing. I will always have the most trouble with the odors. I can overlook some of the horrific visual stimuli more easily. If you persist in focusing on the unpleasant aspects of the situation instead of putting all your attention on handling your dog and trying to reach the person behind the smells, tubes and wounds, you’ll never make it.

Most difficult, and something for which I don’t believe there are any real answers, is the level of tragedy to which you will be exposed, the horror stories you will hear, and above all, the people you will come to know and like who may die and not be there the next time you return for your regular visit. I can’t offer you a lot of help here. Some visitation programs may include support groups for volunteers to deal with these problems, but you will not usually have such a resource available to you. Here's the dilemma: if you’re the kind of person who is good at pet therapy, you’ll also be the kind of person who is going to become involved and form attachments. Your feelings will be vulnerable to what you see and hear. Ultimately though, the redeeming feature is experiencing what your dog can mean to somebody else, and the contribution he can make to the quality of someone else’s life, as well as what he already adds every day to your own.

I spent many hours dealing with doctors, nurses and other medical personnel and sitting in the hospital lounge alone or with other parents in similar situations. It was an anger fed by how we as parents and our children as patients were treated by this particular medical establishment. The treatment might consist of rudeness, stupidity, ignoring us, lying to us or patronizing us, but rarely did it involve compassion, empathy or dealing with us as individuals. I knew there could be a better way--and now I’m using my anger to try to make a difference for other people.

You will become interested in pet therapy work with your Field Spaniel for your own reasons. But if your motivation isn’t deep-seated, you won’t ever make a real commitment to the work, and neither you nor your dog will ever be good at it--you’ll be visitors, not therapists.

Hospitals and nursing homes are not pretty pictures, but the satisfaction derived from working there can be a real emotional high. The part I like the best is that the work takes me completely out of myself. No matter what is bothering me or how I feel when I arrive for a visit, I totally lose myself while I am completely focused on working my dog. I usually feel cleansed and very peaceful for a while afterwards.