Creature Comfort: Animals That Heal

by Bernie Graham

This inspiring, humorous, and touching book celebrates the beneficial effects that animals have on humans and describes how their healing potential is being increasingly acknowledged by the medical community. Animal Assisted Therapy, an important new development in health care, has already shown that people are statistically less likely to suffer an early heart attack if they have a pet, and that stroking an animal actually reduces stress levels.

This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg, says environmental psychologist Bernie Graham. Animal Assisted Therapy is now achieving amazing results in treating children with physical and mental disabilities by using trained dolphins in acquatic therapy. There are also programs that teach dogs to help the disabled by taking laundry out of the washing machine; selecting, unpacking, and paying for items in the supermarket; and even withdrawing money from the bank. Cats, rabbits, and dogs are now taken into hospitals to comfort the patients, and more exotic animals such as ferrets, donkeys, guinea pigs, monkeys, and even tigers are being used to bring hope to individuals, thereby enhancing human efforts.

Written with warmth and compassion, Creature Comfort looks at all aspects of Animal Assisted Therapy, including the theories behind it, to provide both a practical guide and a moving account of the many rewarding human-animal interactions. A must for pet lovers, health care workers, and anyone who wishes to benefit from this most holistic of therapies.

313 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Elentarri]

This is an interesting but outdated overview of the beneficial effects that animals have on humans, and describes how their healing potential is being increasingly acknowledged by the medical community as Animal Assisted Therapy. Graham has an informal writing style, filled with anecdotes and examples. Chapters cover interactions with dolphins, cats, horses, dogs (guide dogs, hearing-aid dogs, emotional support dogs etc), and a chapter covering a range of small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and lizards. I would really like to find a more recent publication, and a more scholarly publication on beneficial animal-human interactions. I don't think the author ever imagined that rats would be used to sniff out landmines, tuberculosis, and illegal wildlife trade items; not to mention the rescue-rats!

[Judith Mollner]

Very informational on the healing that animal/pet therapy provides.

[Lauren]

I've been reading a lot of heavy nonfiction lately, and this was a great book to supplement that. The writing is really accessible. I especially enjoyed the personal stories the author shared involving his family meeting dolphins. This book is 15 years old, so surely some things are outdated, but still a great read.