Emotional support animals - a trusted friend providing companionship and comfort

All animal lovers know how well a beloved pet can ‘tune in’ to our moods, sensing when we are unhappy, upset or stressed and offering reassuring snuggles and warmth. However, more recently, animals have been more formally recognised as being able to provide a key therapeutic role in helping people with a mental health or psychiatric disability. They are known as ‘Emotional Support Animals’ (ESAs).

The comfort provided by an emotional support dog

An emotional support animal is first and foremost a companion animal, not a service animal. However, in some countries, for example the USA, they have a legally recognised status, whilst in the UK they currently do not. This means, for example, that some US airlines are more lenient about having a support animal onboard a flight, whilst in the UK most don’t allow it. The majority of ESAs are dogs, but other animals can fulfil the role, too, including cats and other small animals.

The role of an ESA is distinctly different to that of a ‘service animal,’ and providing emotional support and companionship to someone with mental health or emotional needs is their key role. Service dogs generally require extensive training to do specific tasks for someone with physical or mental needs. The difference is that, as an ESA, just the animal’s presence helps the person to cope. Whilst the value of the comfort that an emotional support animal provides cannot be denied, it’s important to remember that the welfare of the creature should not be overlooked. Most people have a great bond with their animal(s) and treat them with respect, but there have been examples quoted in the media that throw into question whether the animal in the role of ESA was in a stressful situation. A peacock was denied a seat on a US flight although it was said to be an ESA, and in the UK an ‘emotional support’ cat was banned from a supermarket when accompanying its autistic owner. Not all creatures are happy in the company of strangers, and in busy and unfamiliar situations.

Cats can ‘tune in’ to emotions and provide comfort

A valuable role in emotional support

Several studies have shown that animals help to bring health benefits to humans. Through companionship, exercise, comfort and caring for another being, all have proved to lower blood pressure and increase the hormone levels associated with bonding. Research by the University of Toledo paired eleven people with mental illness with a rescue dog or cat, and results showed an improvement in their mental wellbeing. There is certainly more work to be done in this interesting area, but it does appear to confirm what animal lovers have always known: that the love and companionship of a companion animal is indeed therapeutic and life-enhancing, as long as the animal’s needs are respected, too.

Dogs help to find earthquake survivors, and animals rescued by charities

No one can fail to be moved by the scenes in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that hit      

Turkey and Syria last month. Sadly, the number of those who lost their lives has been high in 

both countries, and the the damage to buildings and infrastructure huge.

In the following days, countries around the world rallied to send resources and expertise 

in search and rescue to help find survivors.

(c) Twitter M_Ebrard  One of the Mexican dogs sent to hlp in Turkey

International search and rescue dog teams help find survivors

Mexico sent 16 experienced search and rescue dogs to Turkey. The country is itself prone 

to earthquakes and during one in 2017 the dogs saved many lives and won the hearts  of Mexicans.  

A yellow Lab called Frida was credited with saving 12 lives across Mexico, and other quake sites in 

Haiti, Guatemala and Ecuador.

Dog teams and handlers were also sent from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, 

Libya, Poland, Switzerland, the UK and the US. If a dog detects signs of life, debris often has to 

be moved away very carefully and quietly, due to the risk of collapse and danger to those searching.

The dogs are highly trained to sniff out survivors, and can differentiate between them 

and bodies, enabling the prioritisation of rescue of any people still alive in the rubble.

Amazing stories of survivors being rescued from collapsed buildings after many days have emerged, 

thanks to the help of the dedicated rescue teams and their dogs.

(c) Twitter M_Ebrard  Search dogs and thier handlers waiting to board a plane to Turkey from Mexico

Charities help rescue animals from the quake devastation

Not only people but animals have been rescued from collapsed buildings, sometimes weeks after the 

earthquake. Charities such as Ernesto's in Syria, the Humane Society International (HSI) are 

still rescuing both domestic pets separated from owners or sadly orphaned by the quake, and 

farm animals found wandering or injured.

(c) HSI/facebook. Humane Society International worker rescuing a dog from the devastation

Amazingly, a dog was found alive in the rubble 23 days after the earthquake in Turkey (pictured 

below), and a horse was also rescued, having survived after 21 days under rubble.

In Syria, the team from Ernesto's, an animal rescue charity, have been scouring the damaged towns

and villages for animals who need help. They either provide medication and food onsite or take 

abandoned or orphaned pets back to their sanctuary where they can offer them a safe and happy life,

along with many other rescued cats, dogs and farm animals.

Amidst the heart-breaking loss of life, it is heartening to see that animals are both helping to 

save lives, and themselves being rescued by caring people.

 

Members of the team from Ernesto's helping a young cat after the earthquake

Below, the dog found alive in Turkey 23 days after the earthquake (screenshot from film footage)

Amazing medical alert and assistance dogs - trained to save lives

Animal lovers already know that many creatures, including dogs, have the power to calm and de-stress humans, and they can often sense our moods. But some can do something even more amazing. 

With training, they can detect a potential medical episode or emergency before it begins, giving enough time to alert the person to take preventative action. They can also be trained to provide valuable support to those requiring physical or emotional assistance.

There are different types of training depending on what type of assistance the dog will provide. 

Broadly, these are the three types of support dog:

Assistance dogs provide support for various conditions, including Autism, where they are trained to
provide a sense of safety and reduce stress in social environments. Below, you can read about the rigorous process for training dogs to ultimately become assistance dogs, and how they help to keep their owner safe.

Medical alert dogs are trained to provide a reliable alert for those who experience potentially dangerous medical conditions, such as epileptic seizures, for example. Some can even detect various types of cancers from a urine sample.


Disability assistance dogs help people with physical limitations and disabilities, as they are trained to
perform specific tasks.
Training an assistance dog can take up to two and a half years, and most animals are acquired and trained by special charities that rely on donations.
In the UK, Helpful Hounds, Support Dogs, and Medical Detection Dogs are all charities that provide
training and support for the identification and training of dogs, and for their future owners.

The journey to becoming an assistance dog

Puppies destined to become assistance dogs are identified at a very young age. Pups need to be sociable and confident, as well as enjoy human interaction. They must also be healthy and active.
Some charities have volunteer breed stock holders who own special breeding females whose pups are temperamentally suited to assistance. They live with a volunteer family at home, and are mainly
Labradors, Golden Retrievers and Working Cocker Spaniels, as these breeds are well suited because they love to carry and retrieve, and are happy to work with people.

Puppies are trained from a young age to become an assistance dog

Aged around 8 weeks, the puppy is placed with a volunteer puppy socialiser who looks after him for the next 18 months. As well as the usual responsibilities of looking after a growing puppy, the socialiser begins to develop the pup's training. They are socialised, are acclimatised to meeting different people, and learn to become comfortable in different environments.


At around 14-18 months of age the youngsters move to a training centre, where they begin to learn tasks such as walking next to a wheelchair, and picking up dropped items and handing them back. It is here that the matching process with a potential owner begins. The dogs get plenty of 'downtime' where, just like any dog, they can play, run and interact with other dogs.


During advanced training the dog will learn to meet the specific needs of the person for whom he'll
provide support, and also learn to feel comfortable with that person. He or she needs to learn that
mobility aids are part of the owner's needs, to retrieve items on command, to provide an alert if the
owner requires it, and help with, for example, dressing or getting up.


Some dogs help support children with Autism, and learn how to distract the child during behaviour that a parent wants to interrupt, helping the child to focus and stay calm in a challenging environment.

There is ongoing support through a transition period of settling into a routine with the new owner, to help to develop this lifelong partnership.

Image (c) Medical Detection Dogs

Dogs who will be used for medical detection are trained to employ their incredible sense of smell to
identify minute changes that indicate a particular medical episode (for example an epileptic fit or a
diabetic coma) is imminent. By alerting the owner, he or she can take preventative action to avert danger.
Again, long and specialist training is required to ensure that the dog's scenting skill is accurate, and that mutual trust exists between dog and owner.

Service dogs come in all shapes and sizes


All of these dogs are highly skilled in specialist areas, using their amazing senses to support people, and providing valuable help as well as being much loved and loyal companions.

Globetrotting service dog Finnian becomes a social media star

Finnian the Golden Retriever is a medical alert service dog whose primary job is cardiac alert for his owner. 

He has amassed a huge following on Instagram and TikTok, that enjoys seeing his travels around the world with his owners and their two other dogs. Finnian’s family live in Massachusetts, and travel around the US in their converted van, as well as venturing further afield, overseas.

     (c) Finnian, pictured on his travels

Finnian, who has lived with his owner since he was two months old, has formed an extremely strong bond with her, that travelling together has helped to strengthen; she has complete trust in Finnian to alert her should a medical episode occur. Finnian has a fulfilled life, exploring new destinations including Spain, France, Gibraltar, Iceland and Canada, as well as half of the American states. His globe-trotting is captured in photos shared via his social media accounts.

Finnian’s travel companions are Lacey, a six-year-old Pomeranian, and Keegan, a four-year-old Goldendoodle.

Finnian and Lacey are pictured below.

     (c) finnianthegoldie

Finnian has enjoyed trips to several European destinations including Madrid, Spain (below). He enjoys an adventure, and one of the most viewed posts was of him exploring canyons in Utah using an abseiling-type harness that helped him to access the rocks safely.

            (c) finnianthrgoldie

You can follow Finnian’s adventures at:

www.instagram.com/finnianthegoldie

www.tiktok.com/@finnianthegoldie

Yellow Dog UK - some dogs need their space

Have you heard about 'Yellow Dogs'? No, not adorable Golden Labradors, but a campaign to raise awareness that some dogs need space.

This is done by the dog wearing yellow to alert other dog owners and passers-by. Yellow Dog UK is part of an international initiative introduced in 2012 to increase awareness for dogs who need space whilst they're training, recovering from surgery, or being rehabilitated, for example.

(c) Image thanks to Yellow Dog UK

The concept was originally developed by Swedish dog behaviourist Eva Oliversson, recognising that a clear signal to others that a dog needs space will help his behaviour and enable him to feel more safe and secure. Indicated by wearing yellow, at first this was by yellow ribbons, but a whole range of yellow jackets, collars and bandanas are now available.

There can be a number of reasons for a dog wearing yellow. He may be a rescue animal who is being rehabilitated, or he may have health issues that make him nervous or vulnerable. Other reasons include his having had a bad experience with other dogs: for example by being attacked, or a bitch who is on heat.

Any of these reasons can lead to a dog needing space, and this should be respected both by other dog owners, and those who simply want to greet or pet the dog.

In the UK, 'Yellow Dog UK' at https://www.yellowdoguk.co.uk/ provides a lot of helpful information and advice, as well as enabling owners to buy from a range of yellow merchandise for dogs to wear. Owners can contact Yellow Dog UK for  free poster and ribbon, too.

If you think your dog would benefit from wearing a 'yellow dog' identifier, the website is a great place to start.

                                                 (c) Image thanks to Yellow Dog UK

Yellow Dog UK also promotes dog ownership and encourages both children and adults to always ask permission before touching a dog who they don't know. 

Promoting responsible and careful dog ownership, as well as the 'Yellow Dog' message, is worthwhile for all dog owners and lovers. Let's hope more take it up in the future.

Check out Hubble & Hattie's range of helpful books on dog behaviour, including:

https://www.hubbleandhattie.com/shop/HH5079/

https://www.hubbleandhattie.com/shop/HH4890/

https://www.hubbleandhattie.com/shop/HH4384/

Do Animals Feel Emotion?

     Contented?

When you look at the images in this blog, what do you see? A relaxed happy cat, and a sad lonely dog? Or are we simply imposing our human emotions upon animals, because that’s what we think they are experiencing and expressing?

We’ll never know for sure, of course, whether animals’ brains are wired in the same way as ours, so we can only observe their behaviour and interpret it as best we can, based on our own emotions and learned behaviour. Owners believe that they understand how their pets are feeling through their behaviour and body language, and, let’s be honest, animals have also learned to be pretty good at communicating what they want to us, whether it’s their food bowl topped up, a walk, or just some pampering!

However, how much they really feel we’ll probably never know. Humans are very good at anthropomorphising creatures. Just look at the number of cartoon and fictional animal characters who speak, dress and interact with each other just like people. This must influence our perception of animal behaviour, if only subconsciously.

The jury is still out as far as science is concerned. Philosopher Philip Godfrey-Smith’s work Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind' explores three behaviours that provide clues in animals:

• Do they tend to and protect injured body parts?

Most creatures except insects do

• Do they consider costs and benefits?

Some do, for example by tolerating minor pain in order to be safe

• Do they seek pain-killing chemicals after injury?

It’s been proven that some animals will opt to undertake behaviour that alleviates pain

    Sad and lonely?

But behaviours and emotions are different. It can be argued that animal behaviour is, to a large extent, instinctive and reactive: ie. driven by hunger or self-preservation. Reactions between different creatures to fear and threat also show that we can’t interpret behaviour consistently across species. Some may ‘freeze’ when threatened; others may run, and some attack. Some may do nothing at all. So even the ‘fight or flight’ response that we humans instinctively show is not the same for animals.

Ultimately we may never completely understand how animals experience the world. We know that some of their senses (sight, smell, hearing) are more highly developed than our own, whilst others (communicating) are less so.

Perhaps it’s best to simply respect and admire their differences to us, and enjoy the fact that we can share our lives with domesticated creatures who enjoy our company.

Sight and scent are strongly connected for dogs

A new study has discovered that dogs have an extensive pathway in their brains that enable them to 'see' as well as sniff with their highly-developed sense of smell.

Scientists in Cornell University, New York, found that sight and scent is integrated in dogs, to the point where even blind dogs can function extremely well by navigating their environment by smell.

All dog owners know how much dogs like to sniff, and navigate their way around by their nose. This new research, carried out on 23 dogs of various breeds, revealed through MRI scans that big neural pathways, or “information highways” exist between the olfactory part of the brain (responsible for interpreting the scents from the nose) and the part of the brain tied to vision. This pathway that links smell to vision isn’t found in people but is “thick and obvious” in the dog’s brain.

This appears to confirm that in dogs, the sense of smell is so highly developed that seeing and smells are interlinked in a dog’s perception.

As humans we can only imagine what the world must be like for dogs. Everything must be ‘hyper-real’ with a scent to accompany all they see. As owners, we must respect the dog’s need to stop and sniff at every opportunity. Sniffing and storing information is an enriching experience for dogs, and we can only admire their sensory powers.

Humans do of course utilise dogs’ highly developed smelling skills for tracking, by training sniffer dogs to search out certain substances or to track missing people.

Sniffer dogs play a vital role at airports

This research is just starting, as the same team want to investigate cats’ link between scent and sight, as it is believed that cats have the same strong neural pathways as dogs. Watch (or sniff!) this space.