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AMIMAL COMPANIONS
Broadcast starting week of July 10, 2007

In this hour, host Dr. Fred Goodwin explores Animal Companions. Can having a fish help people with Alzheimer's disease? Does having a dog lower your risk of depression? We hear the latest research on the health and mental health benefits of having pets. Guests include Dr. Alan Beck, Director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University and co-author of Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal Companionship; Dr. Susan Cohen, a social worker at the Animal Medical Center in New York City; Dr. Harriet Ritvo, a professor of history at MIT whose books include "The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age"; and pet trainer Bash Dibra whose books include DogSpeak and Cat Speak.

Host Dr. Fred Goodwin begins with an essay in which he admits that, despite his training as a scientist and journalist, when it comes to pets, he is far from objective. He explains that he is a dog lover and always has been. His wife, on the other hand, is a cat lover; and she has a "professional" relationship with their cat, Jenny. Mrs. Goodwin is a psychotherapist, and Jenny has become her co-therapist. Many of his wife's patients won't even start a psychotherapy session until Jenny is in her place curled up beside them, and his wife's descriptions of Jenny's importance to individual patients parallels some of the other stories in today's show.

Next, The Infinite Mind's Marit Haahr interviews Dr. Harriet Ritvo, a professor of history at MIT and the author of "The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age."

Dr. Ritvo explains that people have probably lived with animals forever, using them for work and protection, but not until the 16th and 17th centuries do animals become people's companions. Even then, only the leisure classes kept animals as pets; not until the latter part of 18th century did pets actually become common among all classes.

The first pets were dogs -- European aristocrats bred toy dogs, which became sign of prosperity. Anyone who kept a cat was likely to be considered a witch.

Dr. Ritvo says that to be friends with an animal shows economic confidence, not only because animals must eat but also because taking in a wild beast -- symbolic of the power and unknowability of nature -- shows confidence in the larger surrounding world.

To contact Dr. Ritvo, please write to: Dr. Harriet Ritvo, Head, History Faculty, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building E51-284, Cambridge, MA 02139. Or visit www.mit.edu.

Then, Dr. Goodwin is joined by Dr. Alan Beck, Director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University and co-author of "Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal Companionship" and Dr. Susan Cohen, a social worker at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, which treats more than 60,000 animal patients every year.

Dr. Beck and Dr. Cohen discuss the wide range of health benefits that pets can bring people. Dr. Beck cites one study which showed pet ownership increased the survival rate one year after a heart attack from 74% to 94%. He also mentions another study that indicates older pet-owners go to the doctor less -- their morale scores are higher, and they are generally healthier. Yet another study showed that when hospitals put a fish tank in the rooms of Alzheimer's patients, the patients' food intake increased by more than 25% -- the patients would sit in one place and watch the fish while they ate, rather than wandering away from their meals. Putting a TV in the room had no such effect. Dr. Beck theorizes that our primal attraction to nature survives dementia.

Dr. Beck then describes animal-assisted therapy, in which the natural ability for animals to calm people is harnessed within institutional or clinical settings. Animals can be helpful in both physical therapy (e.g. petting can strengthen the hand; horseback riding can help coordination) and mental therapy (e.g. people often open up in front of animals in ways that they do not in front of people, alone).

All three doctors offer examples of people who fare better because of their pets. Dr. Goodwin describes depressed patients who get out of bed and keep to a regular schedule only because they have to walk and feed their dogs. Dr. Cohen describes older people who keep the heat up for their birds or go shopping for their cats when they might not remember to do these things just for themselves. Dr. Beck notes that having a pet can also increase people's social interactions and bring humor into their lives.

Dr. Cohen adds that one of the great benefits of companion animals is they offer us access to the power of touch. Someone who lives alone would not be able to ask a stranger for a hug, but she could always snuggle with her dog or cat or let her bird perch on her shoulder and nibble on her hair.

To contact Dr. Beck, please write to: Dr. Alan M. Beck, Center for the Human-Animal Bond, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243. Or visit www.vet.purdue.edu.

To contact Dr. Cohen, please write to: Dr. Susan Cohen, The Animal Medical Center, 510 East 62nd Street, New York, NY 10021. Or visit: www.amcny.org.

After a short break, The Infinite Mind's Devorah Klahr takes us inside Biscuits & Bath, a posh New York City spa for dogs, to explore why people pamper their pets. For expert advice, she turns to Dr. Marty Becker, author of The Healing Power of Pets.

For more information on Biscuits & Bath, please visit www.biscuitsandbath.com.

Next, Dr. Goodwin interviews pet-trainer Mr. Bash Dibra, whose books include "DogSpeak" and "Cat Speak," and pet-lover Ms. Kitty Brown, whose pets were trained by Mr. Dibra.

Mr. Dibra explains that, when training a pet, it's important to try to get inside the animal's head to understand its primal drives. One can do this by paying attention to the animal's body language and vocalizations. He then answers callers' questions. Sandra from Sonoma, CA asks about keeping her cat away from her newborn granddaughter's crib. Edie from New York, NY asks how to keep her two very large boxers from jumping on guests in her home.

To contact Mr. Dibra, please visit www.pawsacrossamerica.com.

Finally, commentator John Hockenberry recounts a personal saga of love, betrayal, heartbreak, a fish, and two turtles.

Heard on this week's program:

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