Thanks to pet therapy, animals finally cease to be consumer commodities and are employed therapeutically with people with disabilities, heart patients, those suffering from anxiety and depression, with elderly people and children affected by even serious personality disorders, in hospitals, prisons, psychiatric centres and drug rehabilitation centres.

The science that provides for the co-therapeutic use of animals for the recovery and maintenance of human health through an interpersonal relationship between humans and animals was born in the United States at the end of the 1960s under the name "Animal Assisted Therapy": in Italy it is known as pet therapy.

In reality, the first experiment in therapy with domestic animals dates back to the late eighteenth century, when in England the self-control of mentally ill patients was encouraged through the care of certain farmyard animals. In Italy, the actual use of therapeutic projects dates back only to the 1990s and has involved a number of public institutions, with decidedly positive results.

Pet therapy: what is it?

In pet therapy, the therapeutic and beneficial significance of the relationship with an animal has never, so far, been attributed to particular contributions that depend on the involvement of a pet in a session. It is often said that the animal evokes emotions, facilitates relationships, and provides support for the individual, leading to the assumption that animals are always beneficial. This is not entirely true: it is necessary to understand what determines the benefit, how to produce that benefit, and how to correlate the animal's contribution to the person's needs. This is where the difference between the zooanthropological approach and the zootechnical approach to pet therapy lies.

The zooanthropological approach to pet therapy

The zooanthropological approach essentially refers to the value of the relationship with the animal, which helps the individual to undertake a process of change; compared to the zootechnical approach, it highlights a difference from situations in which the pet is merely used by the human. This is why, in applied zooanthropology projects, animals must be considered as participants, not as instruments.

The animal must be regarded as "otherness", as a subject and as something different — that is, as a "relational partner" — avoiding instrumentalisation and anthropomorphisation; this allows it to be an interlocutor that brings a different and new perspective to the human, one that in dialogue becomes an added value, a reference point; in relationships, the main contribution is not the animal's performance but this contribution of change that becomes available through dialogue.

Some relational activities have calming effects, others are stimulating, others still are decentring or capable of increasing self-esteem; some provide the person with skills or help them in self-narration activities, while others improve socialisation or self-care.

Pet therapy services delivered according to the zooanthropological approach are therefore based on the prescription of specific relational activities that vary according to the objectives set by the treating physician or the relevant professional for their patient, and they refer to the official document Carta Modena 2002, the Charter of Values and Principles on Pet Relationship, sponsored by the Ministry of Health and recognised by numerous public bodies and associations.

Benefits: who benefits most

Pet therapy and autism

The positive effect that pet therapy can have on children with autistic behaviours was first identified in 1953 by Boris Levinson, a psychotherapist. It was he who laid the scientific foundations for the birth of the first genuine animal therapy and who used the term "pet therapy" for the first time.

This kind of research continues to this day; a study published in Ethos – Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology in March 2010 demonstrated, in particular, how dogs help children with autism to communicate and interact with the world, improving their socialisation skills.

For elderly people

According to a 2009 study by the Humane Society of the United States, elderly people who own a dog or a cat are less depressed and suffer less from loneliness. Indeed, a four-legged friend can help them find a reason to live again, significantly improving their mood and psychophysical condition.

For children

Contact with a dog can help children build self-esteem, learn to care for someone else, and improve their health. A study from Kuopio, Finland, conducted over 12 months on 400 children under the age of one, showed that young children living in contact with pets displayed a reduction in complaints such as coughing, wheezing and rhinitis (-30 per cent) and ear problems (-50 per cent).

Animals suitable for pet therapy: which animal to choose

The first answer that comes to mind is "the animal you prefer." Yes, because, as always, when one truly wants to bring about change, one can only start from what one likes. But even before that, it would be worth asking: "which animal to discover our current equilibrium?" At this point it feels natural to think we are embarking on a summer game, but in reality we are instead beginning to explore an alternative path to recovering wellbeing, away from psychotropic drugs or other invasive therapies. We are talking about zooanthropopsychotherapy, a complex name for a new approach to pet therapy (better described as Animal-Assisted Therapy, A.A.T.) — an approach that helps to treat human existential difficulties through the relationship with one's own pet.

Dogs and cats in pet therapy

It is also emblematic that in the majority of cases, it is two species of animal that we take in: dogs and/or cats.

This in particular leads us to think that there is a connection between the two basic components of our equilibrium — emotion and rationality — and these two animals. The cat, with its abstractness, its "shrewd" ability to assert itself, and its existential independence, can be seen as a materialisation of our rationality; conversely, the dog, with its need for concreteness, for being part of a group, and its capacity to receive and absorb our feelings, can be seen as the personification of our emotions.

It follows that, without realising it, we seek this help and this relationship in order to restore balance to our opposing yet synergistic components — namely rationality and emotion. It is therefore a matter of analysing and studying our relationship with these animals not only to know and accept ourselves better, but also to understand whether there are affective and role "imbalances". In trying to eliminate them, we will have the opportunity — guided by an expert in the human-animal relationship — to work on ourselves in order to recover and maintain precisely that balance between opposites which is indispensable to our wellbeing.

Pet therapy courses – where to find them

We invite associations and centres not listed to send us their contact details.

• U.O. Terapia fisica e Riabilitazione (Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda Milano) in collaborazione con Centro di riabilitazione equestre "Vittorio di Capua"(M.P. Onofri, A. Roscio, V. Giussani e G. Carcangiu)
• AIUCA, Associazione Italiana Uso Cani d'Assistenza. This association organises: Programmes in Animal-Assisted Activities, Animal-Assisted Therapy and Animal-Assisted Education (AAA/AAT/AAE), commonly known as "pet therapy." Introduction Courses and Specialisation Courses, for both operators and animal handlers, evaluation of the pair (handler–animal) for aptitudes and abilities, Delta Society Pet Partners registration. Training courses in various regions of Italy and abroad.
• Istituto Geriatrico Cà d'Industria ed Uniti Luoghi Pii
• Centro Diurno Integrato per Anziani "Costa Bassa"
• Comunità Terapeutica Arcobaleno, Ospedale Fatebenefratelli, Cernusco sul Naviglio Milan;
• Centro Socio Educativo di Lecco
• Fondazione R. Hollmann
• DOG'S LIFE PROJECT by Elena Garuti
• Associazione AIASPORT
• ASL Bologna Nord, Servizio Veterinario, S. Giovanni in Persiceto BO
• Case di Riposo Comunali di Roma Associazione Arion, Rome
• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Abruzzo e Molise, Teramo
• A.N.U.C.S.S, Rome
• Associazione "L'Auriga" Circolo Ippico, Rome
• Associazione Scuola Viva, Rome
• Unità di Cure Palliative, ASL n° 2 dell'Area Valle Umbra Sud, Ospedale di Assisi
• Associazione Dog-Therapy, Palermo
• Associazione "Un Amico per la Vita", Montesilvano
• ASL 3 Catania, S. Pietro Clarenza
• ASL Roma D, Ponte Galeria
• HEOLO, Rome, tel. 06.77201523
• TUCSA, Bari
• ARATEA. Research into animal-assisted therapy and education activities. The team comprises a sociologist, a doctor, a psychologist, an ethologist, a social worker, an educator and handlers (all Delta Society Pet Partners).
• A.T.E.N.A. An association that carries out educational and therapeutic activities of a natural kind conducted with the assistance of animals. Programmes of animal-assisted therapies, music therapy, education in the correct management of animals and the environment. It organises seminars and conferences on Animal-Assisted Therapies. Its headquarters are in Perugia.
• SPAZIOPERNOI An association for the study of the relationship with animals. It works on projects in Assistential zoo-anthropology with dogs and horses (pet therapy), projects in Educational zoo-anthropology in schools, Urban zoo-anthropology consultancy for local authorities and dog shelters, training for dog-shelter operators, training for pet therapy pairs, and dog-related activities.