BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer entails a heavy burden for patients and their families. Recent advances in overall survival rates have increasingly brought long-term quality of life into focus. Animal-assisted activities (AAAs) have long been hypothesized to alleviate the burden on pediatric patients and their peers in the hospital setting. However, their use in inpatient pediatric oncology has been a sensitive issue mainly due to the fear of infections, resulting in a lack of studies. This study presents data on the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of AAAs from a single German center.
METHODS: Between 2018 and 2022, 60 patients (median age = 10.3 years) diagnosed with malignancy and undergoing treatment were visited by an intervention dog (total visits = 100). Patients were screened for infections as per hospital policy, with additional microbiological testing performed based on symptoms. The dog was screened for human pathogens and zoonoses. Microbial data and hospitalizations were analyzed from two months prior to the first visit until two months after the last visit. Acceptance of being in the hospital, both with and without planned animal-assisted interventions and pre- and post-intervention state stress, were measured using a validated visual analogue scale (0-10).
RESULTS: Patients benefited from AAAs, showing increased acceptance of being in the hospital (median: 7.25 vs. 4.50, P < 0.001) and decreased median state stress ratings one hour after the visit compared to one hour before the visit (1.00 vs. 4.25, P < 0.001). The intervention did not result in an increased number of infections or unplanned hospitalizations, and no zoonoses were detected. All microbial screening tests of the dog were negative.
CONCLUSIONS: AAAs with visiting dogs in inpatient pediatric oncology are feasible and safe. Although they hold promise for enhancing patients\' well-being, further prospective studies are needed. Supplementary file 2 (MP4 240076 KB).

UNASSIGNED: Diagnosed in about 10% of children in the United States, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by symptoms including inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Traditional interventions, such as pharmacological and psychological interventions, are often used in conjunction with integrative health options, such as animal-assisted interventions. The objective of this manuscript is to report behavior coding findings from a randomized control trial of children with ADHD.
UNASSIGNED: As part of a larger randomized control trial focused on the efficacy of combining a canine-assisted intervention (live therapy dog or control stuffed dog) with cognitive behavioral therapy for children with ADHD, the current manuscript focuses on video-captured behavior observations (n = 35 children, approximately 322 minutes of data). Data were extracted and coded using the Observation of Human-Animal Interaction Research (OHAIRE) Coding System. Behavior codes are reported as summary scores for the following domains: animal social interaction and human social interaction (further separated into human-adult social interaction and human-peer social interaction). Repeated measures mixed models analyses were performed using SAS PROC GLIMMIX to evaluate group differences and change across the study period.
UNASSIGNED: There were no significant differences in how much children interacted with the live therapy dogs versus control stuffed dogs. With respect to human-to-human social interactions, children showed greater increases over time in human-directed social interactions in the presence of live therapy dogs compared to stuffed dogs (p = .020). Over the course of the 12-week intervention, children increased in interactions with both adults (p = .006) and their peers (p = .014); however, there were more increases over time in adult-directed social interactions in the live animal condition compared to the control stuffed animal condition (p < 0.0001).
UNASSIGNED: Findings suggest changes in social interaction when participating in this canine-assisted intervention, specifically greater increases in human-to-human social interactions over time when a live therapy dog is present compared to a control stuffed dog. Children appear to engage relatively equally with both live and stuffed dogs; however, the impact of animals on human socialization differs based on if a live animal is present. Future studies should consider incorporating behavior coding analysis into studies of canine-assisted interventions to identify how human-animal interactions may be moderators or mechanisms for psychosocial outcomes.

Human-dog interaction is the working tool through which the therapeutic, educational and recreational goals of dog-assisted interventions (DAIs) are achieved. A better understanding of the characteristics of this interaction could improve the effectiveness of DAIs. This scoping review addresses the question: how has the human-dog connection been measured in the context of DAIs? After searching the Web of Science and Scopus platforms, only peer-reviewed, primary research studies reporting measures of therapy dog-human interaction, relationship and bond were included. A total of 70 included articles provided information on what was measured (interaction, relationship or bond) and how, as well as the general context (DAIs or experimental situations with therapy dogs). While the majority of the articles identified use behavioural analysis methods to analyse the interaction between the participant/recipient and the therapy dog during DAIs, it was possible to identify some more structured tools that assess the participant/recipient\'s interaction, relationship or bond with the therapy dog, as well as tools that consider the animal\'s perspective or focus on the dog-handler dyad, indicating growing areas of research. The tools and methods identified can be used by both practitioners and researchers to further explore aspects of human-dog interaction in the field of DAIs.

The article describes how a dog can be integrated into a psychotherapeutic process. Dogs react to momentary moods and functional abilities of patients and therapists and help shape an emerging \"scene\" according to their assessment if they are free to express themselves and are not reduced to a function.The therapist can verbalize the patient\'s way of shaping the interactions and use it to promote the ability tomentalize. Central therapeutic techniques are \"reflective seeing\", reflection on the scene and the therapist\'s attitude. After the general description of the concept, the special features of therapy with children and their caregivers are presented.
Zusammenfassung Der Artikel beschreibt, wie ein Hund in ein psychotherapeutisches Verfahren integriert werden kann. Hunde reagieren auf momentane Stimmungen und strukturelle Fähigkeiten der Patient:innen und der Therapeut:innen und gestalten eine entstehende „Szene“ nach ihrer Einschätzung mit, wenn sie frei sind sich auszudrücken und nicht auf eine Funktion reduziert werden. Die Art undWeise der Patient:innen die Interaktionen zu gestalten, können dieTherapeut: innen versprachlichen und zur Förderung der Mentalisierungsfähigkeit nutzen. Zentrale therapeutische Techniken sind das „reflektierende Sehen“, die Reflexion der Szene und die Haltung derTherapeut:innen. Nach der allgemeinen Beschreibung des Konzeptes werden die Besonderheiten in derTherapie mit Kindern und deren Bezugspersonen dargestellt.

Animal-assisted Interventions (AAIs) are becoming increasingly popular. To date, information on the extent of AAIs in Germany is limited. With a focus on infection control measures in health care facilities (HCFs), two studies were conducted in Lower Saxony to gain knowledge about the structure, characteristics and frequency of AAIs. An online survey among AAI providers identified dogs as the most important animal species in AAI, which mainly operated in educational facilities (53%) and/or on own property (46%). Twenty-nine percent offered their services in HCFs. The majority (55%) of the animal handlers was highly trained in AAI, but their awareness of hygiene and infection control measures to prevent zoonotic disease transmission was limited. Nineteen percent of animal handlers dewormed dogs only when faecal examinations were positive and 13% of dogs received ectoparasiticides only when infestations were present. Raw meat diets were frequent (82%). There was little awareness among animal handlers about the possibility of a zoonotic transmission from the client to the animal. Thus, handling of therapy dogs often reflected that of a \"normal\" pet ownership and did not always account for the special situation in HCFs. A telephone survey in 148 hospitals showed that 28% of the hospitals had experiences with animal-assisted therapies or animal visits, but 22% of these were lacking regulations on handling these animal contacts. While 28% of all hospitals had regulations for assistance dogs only 5% were aware of a new law that grants people accompanied by an assistance dog broad admission rights to public spaces, including HCFs. With an expected further increase in popularity of AAIs high quality standards which include infection control measures and animal welfare should be adopted by all AAI providers and recipients. This will ensure a safe implementation of this complementary medicine, where both sides - the human and the animal - can benefit.

Prisoners frequently experience chronic loneliness and lack social support, which can exacerbate their struggles with incarceration. According to attachment theory, individuals who are insecurely attached may be more likely to develop unstable relationships and engage in antisocial behavior as adults. In 2015 an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program was implemented in a Canadian forensic psychiatric facility/prison, a \"hybrid\" facility that adheres to federal legislation regarding correctional services but follows provincial mental health legislation. The program centers on the development of a human-animal bond (HAB), which serves as a connection between the animals and prisoners. The HAB also addresses issues related to toxic masculinity, which are often present among men incarcerated in correctional facilities, including psychiatric prisons. An instrumental community case study design involving 6 prisoners at a forensic psychiatric facility/prison over 24 AAT sessions between 2015-2019 was undertaken. Interviews with the prisoners and their mental health clinicians were thematically analyzed to explore how the HAB was experienced as a form of attachment. Four themes emerged: safety, physical touch, reciprocity, and acceptance. These themes suggest that the therapy dogs have the potential to serve as a surrogate attachment figure for prisoners, mitigating their experiences of disconnection and fostering their development of interpersonal connections. This suggests attachment theory underpins the HAB and highlights the contribution of AAT practice and research in forensic psychiatric facilities/prisons. This study also suggests that the program\'s offering of prosocial support and nurturance/caring aligns with the specific criminogenic risks and needs identified within Correctional Service Canada\'s Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model for rehabilitation. Continued research and attention should be paid to AAT programs as a valuable addition to the range of support networks available to prisoners in psychiatric or non-psychiatric institutions.

In recent years, there has been a global advancement in the offering of canine-assisted interventions (CAI) in prisons. However, these programs have focused primarily on the benefits to the dogs involved and not on the impact on the participants. The authors of this perspective study have been running a CAI program with therapy dogs, called PAWSitive Support, in a Canadian federal prison since 2016. Thoughts from the program facilitators and interviews with prison staff indicate that the program, and specifically the therapy dogs, provides a unique and integrated source of comfort, support, and love for participants. These benefits are consistent with those seen in CAI programs outside of prisons. Unique to the prison setting appears to be an improvement in participant-staff relations. The therapy dogs have helped participants to experience comfort and consequently express their emotions. This seems to contribute to their recognition of support within the prison system and specifically developing trust with staff. Additionally, the dogs have helped to create an experience of the feeling of love within the prison, interpreted as the feeling of being cared for, which is rare for this population. The authors suggest that the integration of a therapy dog intervention in prison could be a novel harm reduction strategy to address issues related to prisonization and associated mental health concerns, including substance use. This consideration can offer unique insight into the field of forensic psychiatry about providing compassionate care to patients.

UNASSIGNED: Many individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders experience insufficient symptom relief from currently available treatment options. Researching additional venues should be prioritized. This systematic review, designed in accordance with PRISMA, examined the effect of targeted and structured dog-assisted interventions as a supplementary treatment.
UNASSIGNED: Randomized as well as non-randomized studies were included. Systematic searches were conducted in APA PsycInfo, AMED, CENTRAL, Cinahl, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and in several sources covering \"gray\" (unpublished) literature. In addition, forward and backward citation searches were performed. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Quality of evidence and risk of bias were assessed in accordance with GRADE and RoB2/ROBINS-I criteria.
UNASSIGNED: 12 publications from 11 different studies met eligibility criteria. Overall, studies showed diverging results. General psychopathology, positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, self-determination, lower body strength, social function, and quality of life were among the outcome measures with significant improvement. Most documentation for significant improvement was found for positive symptoms. One study indicated significant deterioration of non-personal social behavior. The risk of bias was high or serious for most of the outcome measures. Three outcome measures were associated with some concerns regarding risk of bias, and three with low risk of bias. Quality of evidence was graded low or very low for all outcome measures.
UNASSIGNED: The included studies indicate potential effects of dog-assisted interventions for adults diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders, mostly beneficial. Nevertheless, low number of participants, heterogeneity, and risk of bias complicate the interpretation of results. Carefully designed randomized controlled trials are needed to determine causality between interventions and treatment effects.

Animal therapy and ownership have been studied as a nonpharmacologic treatment option for cardiovascular and psychological disorders. Animal companionship is less studied in neurological disorders such as stroke, dementia, Parkinson\'s disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington\'s disease, epilepsy, and acute brain injury. This review examines the effects that emotional support dogs, dog therapy, or dog ownership has on these specific neurological disorders. It may serve as a nonpharmaceutical option to improve patient symptoms, quality of life, or the disease course itself. Articles were gathered which studied the effect of animal-assisted therapy, pet therapy, dog ownership, and physical activity on neurological disorders. Studies relating to the topic were then assessed for the impact on neurological disorders which ranged from cognition, mobility, quality of life, mood, and improvement of disease course. Dog therapy and ownership were found to improve mood, quality of life, and disease symptoms across multiple neurological disorders. It also encouraged physical activity which was shown to help many diseases studied, even ones associated with skeletal muscle apoptosis, such as Huntington\'s disease. Dog therapy and ownership are a safe and effective nonpharmaceutical approach to treating chronic and progressive neurological disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This was a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and impact of a single dog-assisted therapy (cynotherapy) session in reducing pain and emotional distress in oncological outpatients compared with typical waiting room experience (control).
METHODS: Quasi-experimental before-after controlled study.
METHODS: Chronic pain outpatient clinic of a tertiary cancer center.
METHODS: Adult oncological patients able to consent and without medical contra-indication.
METHODS: All participants completed self-reported questionnaires including a numeric rating scale for pain and distress thermometer at admission and immediately before departure from the clinic.
RESULTS: Eighty-one patients were enrolled over a ten-month study period, 41 in the cynotherapy group and 40 controls.Improvement was greater in cynotherapy than control group for pain (median difference score -1.0 versus 0.0, p = 0.037), distress levels (median -1.0 versus 0.0, p = 0.017), and depression (median -1.0 versus 0.0, p = 0.030). The proportion of patients with a clinically relevant improvement in pain (reduction ≥2 points) was approximately twofold in the cynotherapy group when compared to controls, although not statistically significant (39% versus 20%, OR = 2.53, 95% CI 0.86-8.02, p = 0.088).The mean satisfaction rate was 9.3/10 and no negative occurrences were reported.
CONCLUSIONS: A single session of dog-assisted therapy can provide immediate improvement in the perception of pain and distress for chronic cancer pain in an outpatient setting, with high satisfaction rates and no negative occurrences. This non-randomized pilot study points towards the clinical relevance of implementing cynotherapy at a cancer pain clinic and developing a larger scale, more directed study.