Jill Lenk Schilp. Dogs in Health Care: Pioneering Animal-Human Partnerships. Dogs in Our World Series. Jefferson: McFarland, 2019. Illustrations. 221 pp. $39.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-4766-7394-3.
Reviewed by Hannah Palsa (Kansas State University)
Published on H-Environment (October, 2020)
Commissioned by Daniella McCahey (Texas Tech University)
Dogs and humans have occupied shared spaces since the beginning of domestication. We rely on them for companionship, as a motivator for activity, and often as unwilling participants in Halloween and Christmas card photos. In recent years, humans have relied on dogs for another role: health-care assistants. In her book, Dogs in Health Care: Pioneering Animal-Human Partnerships, author Jill Lenk Schilp traces the history of how dogs and humans partnered together in the health-care field. Schilp defines health care as activities and efforts that are done to promote mental and physical well-being in patients. Dogs are now assistants and willing participants in health-care treatments. From the Mercy Dogs of World War I to canine therapy assistants, dogs have been used to create a bond with humans that has reshaped health care.
Dogs in Health Care is organized chronologically beginning with the early canine pioneers of health care. Chapter 1, “The Mercy Dogs of World War I,” examines the history of the Red Cross Dogs that served in World War I. Red Cross or Mercy Dogs were trained to recover wounded soldiers or comfort the dying. Mercy Dogs roamed trenches and battlefields looking for wounded soldiers. Upon location, dogs took an object belonging to the wounded back to their handlers and then led them back to the soldier. Dogs were equipped with first aid packs, which allowed soldiers to tend to their wounds until help arrived. If men were beyond help, dogs stayed as a comforting presence until they passed. Mercy Dogs were trained to differentiate between enemy and soldier friend in addition to being acclimated to gunfire and navigating barbed wire fences. Dogs were gathered from civilian donations. The United States did not have a formal dog army, but many owners donated their companion pets to become Red Cross Dogs. These dogs became symbols of patriotism and heroes following the end of the war.
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud adored his dogs. Chapter 2, “Jofi and Sigmund Freud,” explores the relationship between Freud and his Chow, Jofi. When Freud was treating patients, Jofi remained in the room for the sessions. Jofi provided a soothing comfort that allowed patients to open up about feelings and emotions. Freud and Jofi became the first animal-assisted therapy partnership in psychotherapy. By having Jofi in the room, Freud observed that patients were more willing to cooperate with questions and gave a sense of reassurance. Jofi offered nonjudgmental support and alleviated anxiety in Freud’s patients. Although Freud did not articulate how Jofi assisted his patients, Jofi proved the foundation for legitimizing animals as treatment in mental health work. Today, modern animal-assisted psychotherapists trace their lineage back to Freud and Jofi.
Florence Nightingale had been a lifelong animal lover. In chapter 3, “Cap and Florence Nightingale,” Schilp notes how a chance meeting with an injured sheepdog possibly pushed Nightingale into the field of health care. Nightingale saved an injured sheepdog named Cap from being hanged and nursed him back to health. Nightingale believed that small animals were a great assistance to a patient’s treatment. Schilp argues that Cap influenced Nightingale’s view on public health, nursing, and health-care reform.
The legacy of Balto and Togo has been etched in controversy. Balto delivered lifesaving serum to Nome, Alaska, in 1925 and became a media darling. On the other hand, Togo completed the most hazardous part of the serum race. In chapter 4, “Togo and Balto: Public Health Heroes,” the story of these two dogs is explored and the fate of a public health crisis that rested in the fate of two dogs is recounted. In 1925, Nome was battling a public health crisis of diphtheria. The epidemic had claimed five victims and confirmed twenty-two cases of the disease. An antitoxin was needed to prevent further fatalities. Dogsled teams were chosen to deliver the antitoxin to the citizens of Nome. The dogsled race spanned 674 miles from Fairbanks to Nome and comprised twenty teams. Togo led his team 261 miles. Balto and his team entered Nome on February 2, 1925. Sled dog teams demonstrated the teamwork and grit needed to deliver the lifesaving antitoxin to Nome. The dogsled races helped raise awareness of the public health infrastructure in rural cities and how to better distribute needed supplies and outreach to these communities.
The legacy of Buddy and Morris Frank is shown in chapter 5, “Buddy: The Guide Dog Who Pioneered a New Frontier.” Guide dogs did not originate in the United States. Gerhard Staling developed the modern Seeing Eye dog. He founded the first guide dog school in Oldenburg, Germany, in 1916. Dorothy Eustis and Jack Humphrey founded Fortunate Fields kennels with the intent on providing German Shepherd dogs for military purposes but then switched to providing guide dogs for those blinded in World War I. Frank viewed an ad for Fortunate Fields through a 1927 issue of the Saturday Evening Post and he was eventually paired with Buddy. The duo trained together for six weeks before leaving Switzerland for Tennessee where Frank was from. Buddy allowed Frank freedom that he previously believed was unattainable. The popularity of Buddy and Frank allowed the 1929 formation of The Seeing Eye Incorporated in Nashville, Tennessee, which was the first guide dog institute in the United States. Other countries soon followed. By 1956, handlers and guide dogs were guaranteed public access rights throughout the United States. A statue of Frank and Buddy resides in Morris Frank Park in Morristown, New Jersey.
Chapter 6, “Jingles and Boris Levinson: Cotherapists,” expands on the canine-assisted psychotherapy that was first pioneered by Freud and Jofi. Boris Levinson’s dog, Jingles, participated in early adaptation of animal-assisted therapy. However, when he presented his findings at the annual American Psychiatry Conference in 1962, Levinson was ridiculed. Levinson pioneered the term “pet therapy” and the use of household pets in patient therapy sessions. Although he promoted the benefits of pet therapy, he argued that more research was needed to completely understand the values and risks associated with the new therapeutic practice. Pet therapy is now understood as animal-assisted therapy or animal-facilitated therapy.
Chapter 7, “Boe and Budge: The First Operational Combat Stress Dogs,” explores the relationship between dogs and OSC (occupational stress control) therapy. The use of dogs to promote mental and physical well-being among combat soldiers was another form of animal-assisted therapy. Dogs helped soldiers dealing with issues of PTSD, anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues related to the stress of combat. They brought a soothing presence during therapy sessions and helped decrease stigmas that surrounded mental health services in the military.
The final two chapters, “A New Generation of Therapy Dogs” and “Pioneers, Poetry, and Possibilities,” present the reader with twenty-first-century therapy dogs. Carolyn Marr developed treatment plans that helped animal-assistance therapy become a regular fixture in hospitals throughout the world. Although animal-assisted therapy has made great strides since it was first pioneered by Freud and Levinson, more research is still needed to understand the true impact on both humans and animals. There is a lack of understanding of how the benefits of animals and humans can be maximized to benefit both parties.
The sources that Schilp uses create a rich narrative about the relationship between dogs and their use in health care. Articles by scholars of psychology and animal-assisted therapy outline the history of how animals have been used in psychiatric treatments. Memoirs and writings by Frank and Nightingale give further detail into their relationship with their animals and their worldview. And newspaper articles show how the general public often understood how dogs were partners in health care.
Dogs in Health Care: Pioneering Animal-Human Partnerships is a rich volume that shows how dogs and humans have forged a partnership in the continued development of health care. From assisting wounded soldiers in World War I to sitting in on a child’s appointment with a psychiatrist, dogs remain a permanent fixture in health care. This book should be recommended reading for anyone who loves heartwarming tales of dogs but also those interested in learning more about how our relationship with dogs has continued to evolve throughout history.
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Citation:
Hannah Palsa. Review of Schilp, Jill Lenk, Dogs in Health Care: Pioneering Animal-Human Partnerships.
H-Environment, H-Net Reviews.
October, 2020.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=54706
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