Photo by Adriana Rovers/Cornell

Cornell Companion "Jake" and Dr. Jane Shaw, faculty coordinator of the animal-assisted therapy program in the College of Verterinary Meidcine, Cornell University, meet students at the Special Children's Center, Ithaca, NY. "Animals seem to have a special talent for bringing people out of their shell and into our world," Shaw says.

Just when the world's getting really confusing and you're not feeling good about yourself, when it seems nobody will listen -- or even sit when you tell them to -- along come the Cornell Companions for another session of animal-assisted therapy.

Based in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and run by veterinary students, the Cornell Companions program brings well-trained dogs to facilities for kids who are developmentally disabled, including the Special Children's Center and BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services) in Ithaca, for hands-on, hugs-all-around visits.

Cornell Companions (both the four-legged and human type) help with classroom activities as informal as "pet-the-pet" sessions. The canine Cornell Companions sit patiently for endless coat-brushings and walk willingly on leashes even for the most inexperienced dog-walkers.

"We started Cornell Companions," said student coordinator Jennifer Matlow, "to share with disabled children our love of animals and our belief that pets can make a difference in the physical and emotional well-being of those they touch."

And touch they do, offering a friendly paw, a sloppy kiss or an ear to scratch for kids who don't always interact so well with people.

"I'll always remember the little boy who just mumbled. We knew he was trying to talk, but he just mumbled," Matlow recalled. "Then one day he said, 'Hi, doggie, how are you?' as clear as can be."

Animals make ideal therapy "assistants," explained Cornell Companions faculty coordinator Jane Shaw, D.V.M., "because they're not going to judge you. They don't know you're different. They're particularly good with autistic people. Animals seem to have a special talent for bringing people out of their shells and into our world." In the future, Cornell Companions will move beyond group sessions and get a chance to demonstrate their talents as motivators in individual speech-therapy and physical-therapy sessions with children.

So far, most of the Cornell Companion's animals are dogs, although the program has one cat and will consider other creatures. The animals must pass a health/obedience/temperament screening to prove that they are calm, reliable and good with children. "These situations are a bit more challenging for the animals than visits to nursing homes or hospitals, for example," Matlow said. "Children are more hyper, they move very fast and they don't always understand the difference between petting and pulling ears."

But the children learn fast, once they're given the responsibility of handling a new friend on the other end of the leash, grooming its fur and responding to the dog's need for companionship. The volunteer handlers, who are veterinary students and other members of the Cornell community, get special training, too. Lectures about the human-animal bond by professional animal-assisted therapists teach the volunteers what they and the pets should be doing, while sessions with educators from participating facilities teach the volunteers about the children's needs, capabilities and expectations.

While not the first of its kind in the United States, Cornell Companions is modeled on other successful programs, such as the Delta Society Pet Partners Program. Start-up support from the College of Veterinary Medicine and from an alumni-based fund for special projects helps cover the costs of training for Cornell Companions. The volunteer handlers and animals are unpaid, except in the satisfaction that comes from helping others.

"We consider this an educational opportunity. We're learning more about the capabilities of animals, while the children learn how to care for animals," said Matlow, who will graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine in the year 2000. "The best veterinarians are both medically competent and emotionally compassionate, and this program gives us a chance to cultivate empathy and understanding. We're beginning to recognize that pets are powerful healers, themselves, and that generates a lot of respect for the human-animal bond."