those with no pets. {5}
Pet owners also ap-
peared to have a faster
recovery from stress
when with their pets
rather than with their
friend or spouse. {5}
Several other stud-
ies have shown that
dog owners get
more exercise, are
more physically
active, and are less
likely to be obese,
because they walk
their pets regularly.
{5}
The pet population na-
tionwide, only counting
cats a dogs, has grown
by over 120 million in
the past 40 years. {5}
There have always been
studies and research on
how pets can affect a
person’s health, how-
ever just recently these
studies have grown and
developed to suggest
that having pets can
help to improve a per-
son’s cardiovascular
health. {5} Just re-
cently there was an Na-
tional Institute of
Health (NIH)-funded
study that looked at
421 adults who had
suffered from heart
attacks. {5} Scientists
discovered that one
year later, the dog-
owners of the group
were more likely to still
be alive than those who
did not have a dog, re-
gardless of the severity
of the heart attack. {5}
A differ-
ent study
looked at
240 mar-
ried cou-
ples. {5}
Those
who
owned a
pet for the most part
had lower
heart rates
and blood
pressure,
while un-
der a lot of stress or in
a relaxed state, than
Man’s Best Friend Becomes Man’s Savior
Animal-assisted Therapy Jasmine was a dog that
belonged to a young
boy who knew from the
moment he met her
that he wanted her to
be a therapy dog. {3}
He exposed Jasmine to
all sorts of situations
with mall, parks, other
dogs, children in stroll-
ers, etc. {3} One day
they were walking
through a hospital and
passed an elderly
woman who was clearly
agitated, accompanied
by a nurse. {3} They
walked in and the
nurse put Jasmine on
the bed. {3} The
woman immediately sat up
and hugged Jasmine, talked
with her, rocked her back
and forth and stroked her
back until the woman fell
asleep. {3} That is when the
nurse told the boy that this
woman was deeply agitated
and nobody and nothing
could get her to sleep until
Jasmine. {3}
MICDS
November 24, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 1
Pets: Making the World
Healthier Once House at a Time
Special points
of interest:
Heart-warming stories
about pets helping
people during their
toughest times
Facts you didn't know
about your pets
Facts and statistics
that will make you
take a trip to the pet
store
The miraculous capa-
bilities pets had that
you had no idea
about
Inside this issue:
All About Animals
Puzzle 2 Furry Friends Re-
lieving our Stress 2 Did you Know? 2 The Cure to Cancer
is a Sniff Away! 3 Vi, the Seeing Eye
Dog 3 Prison Pet Partner-
ships 3 Bibliography 4
A husband and wife out
getting exercise by walking
their four-legged friend.
-Simply watching a
fish tank versus a bare
wall for 30 minutes
lowers blood pressure
significantly {2}
-97 % of pet owners
talk to their pets {2}
-A group of patients suf-
fering from depression
who participated in daily
water exercises with dol-
phins saw significant
improvements over a
-In the United States, 63
percent of households
own at least one pet {2}
-In one study, patients
who spent a short
amount of time with a
dog before upcoming
treatment operation ex-
perienced a 37 %
reduction in their anxi-
ety levels {2}
group who performed
the same exercises with-
out dolphins. {2}
Inside Story Headline
Did you Know?
Who Knew our Furry Friends Could Relieve Stress?
pet. {1} Pets also encour-
age exercise, whether it
is walking a dog because
they need it or that peo-
ple generally enjoy walk-
ing more when they have
companionship, pet
owners are for the most
part in better shape than
non-pet owners. {1}
Whether it is a dog, cat,
guinea pig, bunny, horse
or snake, having a pet is
like having a friend that
will always be there to
keep you company. {1}
Last but not least, a test
was run that found that
when conducting a task
that is stress related,
people react better and
cope with their stress
better when their pets
were with them than
when a friend or spouse
was there. {1}
Owning a cat or dog can
make you healthier by
improving your mood,
encouraging exercise,
helping with social sup-
port, and providing you
with a friend and uncon-
ditional love. {1} There
was a recent study that
showed that men with
AIDS were less likely to
show symptoms of de-
pression if they had a
“Simply
watching a
fish tank
versus a bare
wall for 30
minutes
lowers blood
pressure
significantly”
Page 2
Pets: Making the
World Healthier
Caption describing pic-
ture or graphic.
A man with a wide
smile spending time
with his cheerful pup
Ovarian cancer kills two-
thirds of the 22,000
women diagnosed with it
each year. {6} The rea-
son it kills so many peo-
ple is because it is usu-
ally caught after it has
spread beyond the ova-
ries, and at that point
there is very little hope.
{6} The Pine Street
Foundation, a cancer
education and research
center in San Anselmo,
California, has high
hopes to one day train
dogs to sniff out early-
stage ovarian cancer.{6}
In 2006 the foundation
suggested through a
study that it was possi-
ble to train dogs to,
through a breath sam-
ple, sniff out which pa-
tients had lung cancer
and which had breast
cancer. {6} Now, all that
the scientists need to do
is figure out “what col-
lection of molecules are
unique to ovarian caner,
pancreatic cancer, and
lung cancer, and develop
a test to find those.” {6}
Diabetes is also detect-
able. {6} Scientists and
still perfecting the study,
but they know that when
one’s blood sugar drops,
the body sends out cer-
tain chemicals through
the breath, which dogs
could learn to detect.{6}
extremely low rate of
recidivism, only one in-
mate has ever had to re-
turn to the prison. {7}
In 1981, a program was
started called the Prison
Pet Partnerships and it
began at the Washington
prison. The idea of the
program is that inmates
train and care for service
and guide dogs to assist
the blind and disabled.
{7} More than 600 dogs
have joined the program
since it began. {7} The
released inmates who
trained and took part in
the program have an
Training the dogs, for the
inmates, teaches and
practices the values of
hard work, kindness,
consistency and love. {7}
Pets of any kind can
bring the best values to
even the worst people,
and everyone should be
amazing at the wonders
they achieve.
The Cure to Cancer Could be a Sniff Away
Prison Pet Partnerships
Vi, the Seeing Eye Dog when they're in the hos-
pital." {9} Vi is a retired
seeing-eye dog that was
donated to the Children’s
Inn as their first live-in
dog. {9} For such a sick
child, bonding with a pet
the way that these chil-
dren have an opportu-
nity to do, has several
benefits. {9} "There are
many studies showing
that pet therapy is one of
the different avenues
outside traditional care
that can aid in healing,"
states the co-founder
and coordinator of a pe-
diatric program at the
National Cancer Insti-
tute. {9} No matter how
sick any of the children
are, Vi never fails to put
a smile on their face. {9}
The Children’s Inn is a
place to house sick chil-
dren dealing with dis-
eases such as cancer,
HIV and heart, lung and
bone disorders. {9} The
spokeswoman of the inn
explains how she be-
lieves that having a live-
in pet “gives the kids the
opportunity to forget
about the pokes, prods
and needles they receive
“In 2006 the
foundation
suggested
through a study
that it was
possible to train
dogs to, through
a breath sample,
sniff out which
patients had
lung cancer and
which had
breast cancer.”
Page 3
Volume 1, Issue 1
The wet snout of a dog
ready to sniff out can-
cer and save millions
Several jail inmates train-
ing and bonding with their
four-legged friends
Annabelle Cella
26 Thorndell Dr.
St. Louis, Missouri
63117
Phone: 314-277-0995
E-mail:
MICDS
1. About.com: Stress Management. Elizabeth Scott. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://
stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/ petsandstress.htm>.
2. How Stuff Works. Jennifer Horton. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/
human-nature/emotions/ happiness/science/pets-happiness.htm/printable>.
3. Love on 4 Paws Animal Assisted Therapy. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2009<http://
www.loveon4paws.org/story.asp>.
4. Lubbock 31 July 2009. Print.
5. NIH News in Health. NIH, Feb. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://
newsinhealth.nih.gov/2009/February/feature1.htm>.
6. Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Support Communiry. 16 Aug. 2009. Web. 17 Nov.
2009.<http://www.inspire.com/ groups/ovarian-cancer-national-alliance/discussion/
dogs-sniff-out-clues-in-the-fight-against-cancer/>.
7. Pet place.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.petplace.com/dogs/prison-pet-partnership/
page1.aspx>.
8. The Healing Power of Pets. 1st ed. Library of Congress-In-Publication Data, 2002. Print.
9. The Washington Times [Washington D.C.] 25 Dec. 2008. Print.
10. Digital image. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/
consumer_assets/site_images/article s/healthtools/depression_overview_slideshow/
getty_rf_photo_of_man_and_dog.jpg>.
11. Digital image. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.lakelandgov.net/publicworks/lakes/
images/5F55B283E1AF4EC997 60E6E7420B5844.jpg>.
12. Digital image. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.paulspetsitting.com/images/
horse_dog_cat.jpg>.
13. Digital image. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/
BuildWordSearch.asp>.
14. Digital image. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://quezi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/dog-
nose.jpg>.
15 Digital image. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_l5XttUJEWTk/SdPNu-JyyjI/AAAAAAAABdk/phvfh C8Vt7A/s400/state+prison+Florida+inmates+group+small.jpg>.
Bibliography
Organization
Resources:
1. Local
St. Louis Humane Society
1201 Macklind Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 951-1562
2. National
International Association of
Assistance Dog Partners
38691 Filly Drive
Sterling Heights, MI 48310
3. School
Book from the MICDS
McCulloch Library
Kindred Spirits: how the Re-
markable Bond Between Hu-
mans and Animals can Change
the way we Live by Allen M.
Schoen
Published New York : Broadway
Books, 2002, c2001.
ISBN 0-7679-0431-1
4. Website
http://
newsinhealth.nih.gov/2009/
February/feature1.htm
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