Tag Archives: dog

Therapy animals bring joy and comfort to Maui’s elderly and disabled

Shannon Dominguez works at least 70 hours per week at Upcountry Maui’s Haku Baldwin Center.She directs a popular community program called Animal-Assisted Therapy. Several times per week, she loads up her truck with a menagerie of well-trained animals–including dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks & chickens–and visits people who are elderly, infirmed or disabled. Her therapy animals bring comfort to about 400 people per month on Maui.

I tagged along with Dominguez and her crew, and in about three hours we visited nearly 65 elderly and disabled people. Here’s how a typical animal-assisted therapy visit works. Residents of a skilled nursing facility gather in the activities’ room. Some have just come from physical therapy, dialysis or a visit with their doctor; others have gotten out of bed for the first time that day. Most sit in wheelchairs. I walked with a certified therapy dog around to each resident and asked if he or she would like to meet a nice dog. Some people don’t like dogs, and we moved on. But many love animals and did their best to pet the dog with knotted hands. Faces light up, and for a few moments, pain melts away. Some residents remained focused on the animal for the entire visit, while others after a minute or two started chatting with me. One elderly woman patted the dogs head and then showed me the newspaper she was holding. She was reading her eldest son’s obituary.

There is more demand on Maui for animal-assisted therapy than she can meet, explained Dominguez. For example, veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) might benefit from animal-assisted therapy, but in order to serve them, Dominguez would have to double the size of her operation. It’s a problem that many small non-profit organizations face: a larger operation would mean a much greater administrative paperwork burden and less time doing the work. That’s not likely to happen any time soon, given Dominguez’s dedication to the programs she runs matched by existing funding for the Haku Baldwin Center and the AAT program comes from a private endowment. But Dominguez added that private donations are always welcome.

Hale Makua resident enjoys time with therapy rabbit, Koa

 

Pet ownership in Hawaii higher than Mainland

Owning a cat or dog improves people’s health, according to decades of research. The major benefits include lower stress and better cardiovascular health (at least for dog walkers). Almost half the population in the US receives these benefits: 39% of households have at least one dog and 33% of households have at least one cat, reports US Pet Statistics, a site run by the Humane Society.

On O’ahu pet ownership is higher than the Mainland, with at least 60% of households owning a dog or cat (not counting the strays that people feed), says Jacque LeBlanc, community relations director at the Hawaii Humane Society. Survey data for the other islands is not currently available, but estimates suggest pet ownership rates are comparable.

Those of us lucky to live in Hawaii already expect longer, healthier lives than our Mainland counterparts by as much as three years. Compared to the rest of the world, Hawaii ranks fifth for longest life expectancy (averaging 80.8 years; it’s a coincidence that  808 is also our area code). Higher rates of pet ownership might contribute.

Checking pets to and from Hawaii

Question from a reader: What are the airlines’ rules for kennels to transport pets as checked cargo/baggage to and from Hawaii?

Answer:

American Airlines provides the most specific details on which size of pet (dog or cat) kennel / crate they allow. According to their website:

Pets Traveling as Checked Baggage

The maximum size for checked kennels is a series 500 kennel with the following dimensions: 40″ long x 27″ wide x 30″ high. However, this size kennel is not accepted on the Boeing MD-80 (S80). Kennels checked on MD-80s must be able to fit through the cargo door while remaining in an upright position. MD-80 cargo doors are 29″ high x 53″ wide.

Series 700 kennels are not allowed on any aircraft.

The maximum weight of a checked pet and kennel (combined) cannot exceed 100 lbs.

Collapsible Kennels (those which can fold down flat) can not be accepted due to the risk of collapse during transport.

Pets Traveling as Carryon

The maximum size for cabin pet carriers is 23″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high.

Other domestic airlines are likely to have similar guidelines, but they aren’t posted. I suggest calling your desired airline to check before booking a ticket.

Remember that the FAA also imposes runway temperature restrictions for pets. Generally, pets are only allowed to travel when the runway is not more than 85 degrees F and not less than 45 degrees F. An exception can be made to 20 degrees F, if a veterinarian certifies that the pet is acclimated to lower temperatures. No exceptions are allowed over 85 degrees (think Dallas in summer) or under 20 degrees (think Boston in winter).

Basic health requirements must also be met, including original proof of vaccination for rabies for pets departing Hawaii. For pets traveling to Hawaii, stringent health rules apply. Learn more about those from the state quarantine office. Due to state budget cuts, the inspection facility at Honolulu Airport has reduced its hours as follows:

Effective December 1, 2009 inspection hours for dog and cats at Honolulu International Airport (HNL) will be between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays. This information is particularly important for those who are qualifying their pets for direct release at the airport.  Pet owners should be sure to arrange for their flights to arrive by 3:30 p.m. because it may take up to one hour for the airlines to transport a pet to the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility and animals not arriving at the facility by 4:30 p.m. will not be released at the airport that day.   Pets arriving in the late afternoon and evening will be held overnight until inspections are completed the following morning.  Pet owners who are connecting to neighboring islands should pay particular attention to the change in inspection hours.  (An advisory was posted on this website on August 17, 2009 to advise pet owners of the probability of reduced inspection hours.)