Sesame provides healing

It’s no secret dogs are great companions. They are willing playmates and fierce protectors. Day after day, they happily greet us with warmth and acceptance. Sometimes their presence alone is enough to bring life to an otherwise lonely home.

They’ve wholeheartedly earned the nickname “man’s best friend,” but it doesn’t stop there. Some dogs, like Sesame, possess the power to heal.

Sesame is a 2-year-old, 62-pound yellow Labrador retriever. He is a “social dog” that lives and works with Dr. Steve Hendler. A social dog is a type of service dog that is trained to work with a professional in the field of education, counseling, medicine, rehabilitation, retirement and other specialty agencies.

As a rehabilitation physician specializing in evaluating and treating teenagers and adults with musculoskeletal and neurologic impairments resulting from injury or illness, Hendler works with patients with many disabilities. He performs EMG (nerve) testing as well as disability evaluations and independent medical examinations. He works with patients who endure a great deal of pain and discomfort. Sesame eases the stress level and some of the discomfort of Hendler’s patients.

“We had a family pet, Mack, whom we had certified as a therapy dog. I brought him to my office once a week or so and everyone’s mood was just a bit lighter when he was there. Some patients asked to schedule follow-up appointments on ‘dog day,’” Hendler said.

When Hendler had to euthanize Mack, several of his patients and staff remarked on how much they missed having the dog in the office, so he contacted KSDS Inc.

KSDS Inc., in Washington, Kan., breeds social, physical assist and sight dogs. Because of his temperament, Sesame was deemed a social dog and trained on how to approach and behave with children, adults, elderly and people in various forms of mobility equipment. After periodic evaluations for medical and behavioral issues, Sesame met Hendler and they underwent training together.

“It was really Sesame training me rather than the other way around,” Hendler admits. After the training was complete, Sesame began working with Hendler and his patients in his Leawood office.

A day at the office

On a typical day at the office, Sesame comes into the room with Hendler and they spend a couple of minutes letting Sesame explore (sniff) and say hello (a lick, often on the face). Hendler might let Sesame demonstrate a couple of “tricks.” Generally, Sesame lays down, frequently at the patient’s feet, often nuzzling the patient’s leg. If the examination table is low enough, and the patient agrees, Sesame jumps onto the table (by command) and sits next to the patient. Patients often pet Sesame throughout an appointment, which helps relax them. During testing, Sesame often lays in the middle of the room. Patients find focusing on his breathing very relaxing and comforting.

Hendler believes diverting a patient’s discomfort to Sesame is extremely valuable.

“I had a patient come in one day who was in the throws of an anxiety attack. He actually got down on the floor with Sesame while we were talking and, while I was exploring treatment options with him, he was playing with the dog,” the doctor said.

Sesame also helps Hendler gauge how well a patient may respond to certain alternative approaches to managing their pain. He has seen many who are patients consumed with pain until the dog comes in. Then, they are able to totally redirect their attention to the dog.

Sesame also sees patients in the hospital.

“I often take Sesame to the rehabilitation unit. Some patients really enjoy interacting with the dog. Stroke patients usually have physical and speech challenges, and I encourage them to use a weak arm to pet Sesame. Patients with speech difficulties find it less uncomfortable to speak to Sesame than to people. The ‘s’ sound can be particularly challenging, so simply pronouncing Sesame’s name is progress.”

Balancing work and life

“When Sesame works every day, he tends to get stressed. Fortunately, I am able to adjust his schedule pretty readily. If he works a long day, I make sure to build in some break time during the day and shorten up the next day. Since my house is so close to my office, I can pick him up on the way to the office from the hospital or Janice will stop by the office to pick him up and take him home.”

Sesame lives at home in Leawood with Hendler, his wife, Janice, and their two children, Matt, 15, and Sadye, 13, because KSDS only places working dogs in facilities that include a designated staff member with whom the dog will be living. The philosophy is that these animals, like people, need time away from work to have “a life,” so it’s not all work and no play for Sesame. When he is at home with the family, he gets to be a “real” dog. Some rules, however, are musts in the Hendler household:

• No playing with tennis balls. Hospitals and rehab facilities typically use tennis balls on walkers and other types of equipment. If Sesame chased a tennis ball at work, the results could be disastrous.

• Just like Sesame is allowed on the examination table at work, he is allowed on the bed at home but he must be given permission first.

• Even though the Hendlers trust Sesame completely to stay at home alone, he goes to his kennel every time to help reinforce who’s boss.

Patients and non-patients alike respond positively to Sesame.

“We’re a busy family and, for ongoing training purposes, Sesame often comes along with us. Many places are extremely flexible. It definitely adds time to our outings because people ask a lot of questions, especially when we are in public places. Once they realize he’s a working dog, they typically understand.”

Some situations aren’t as dog-friendly for a number of reasons.

“The whole point of having Sesame around is to put people at ease, so if they are scared of dogs or even allergic to them, I don’t try to convert them into dog-lovers. Adding stress to the situation would defeat the whole purpose,” Hendler said.

According to Hendler, he is the first physician with whom KSDS has placed a dog. “It’s somewhat new territory for the organization. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many people are comforted by Sesame. I wouldn’t be surprised if placing social dogs with physicians becomes more common.”

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