As I progress through my masters program, I realize more and more how some of the concepts of therapy can be applied to animal behavior as well as people. When you enter into therapy for the first time, there is a process called joining. The therapist conducts their initial assessment, asking questions about what has brought the person or family into therapy and a series of other questions that gives the therapist a view into the client’s world. Having a positive and trusting relationship is critical to the therapeutic process-without it, change will not happen. Joining involves taking an interest in the client/family, understanding their beliefs, values and perspectives and essentially becoming a part of their family system in order to guide the change that they are seeking. Trust is in integral component of the therapeutic relationship.
Not all people seek therapy out of their own free will, some are court ordered, referred by social services or perhaps desperate parents seek the help of a professional for their child. So, what does this have to do with animals???? I’m getting to that, I promise!- I have previously talked about all the animals waiting in shelters to be adopted and how a lot of them have come from abuse or neglect situations, each has its own story for how it ended up in a shelter, each comes with emotional baggage but unlike people, animals cannot tell us what they have experienced or how it influences their everyday behavior.
When I’m pet sitting, I spend time with lots of different dogs, pure breeds, mixed breeds, shelter dogs- ALL kinds of pups! Thanksgiving week I spent some time with some very special fur babies; one particular dog had a rough start to life before she was adopted into a great family! When I had my initial consultation, her owner’s shared with me that she had been abused by her past owner and while she is absolutely loveable, adorable and a happy dog, her previous experiences still haunt her when faced with certain situations. I knew I might be in for a challenge…
My first visit entailed me getting barked at for at least 30 minutes straight! She clearly was sending me a message that said- “I’m not comfortable with you being here in my space!” I spent a lot of time during that 1st visit trying to calm her down as she acclimated to me being in there home and for a moment I was really concerned that my presence was going to be too stressful for her. That’s when it occurred to me that I needed to apply the joining techniques of psychotherapy to building a relationship with her. She was like that defiant teenager sitting in therapy, huddled in the corner of the sofa, not wanting to make eye contact and certainly not trusting me or the process! Sometimes, animals are no different. It took some time- and a lot of patience but we made great progress by the end of the week.
I don’t think I will ever understand animal cruelty but what I do know is that animals who have suffered at the hands of abusers deserve a second chance in a loving home where they can live out their lives- surrounded with love. It takes a special family to have the patience, compassion and understanding that an abused dog needs in order to build trusting relationships again and overcome some of their fear. I am proud to work with such families and hope that I will be able to continue building positive and trusting relationships with these amazing pets!
I would like to dedicate this blog to “Jenna”, she lived a very full and rich life with her family but was called home this week. I was lucky to spend a brief time getting to know this sweet girl. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
