On Sunday mornings in southern California, a radio show called The Men’s Dugout is broadcast on KLAA. It’s the home of Angels’ baseball and Anaheim Ducks hockey, so I was confused when I got a phone call last week from the host, Tara Grace, asking if I was available for an on-air interview.
“My book is about dogs,” I said. I figured she was trying to call a doctor or therapist and got the wrong number.
“Are there angles of the healing power of dogs that are relevant to men?” she asked.
Wow, there sure are. I told her how service dogs were helping injured Iraq veterans; the most common injury from the war is loss of a limb, and service dogs could pull wheelchairs, turn on lights, pick up cellphones, retrieve medication, and any of 90 commands.
She liked that. Anything else?
The use of dogs to detect cancer has particular meaning for men. Dogs have proven they can find tiny traces of cancer in urine samples. The current prostate specific antigen test is highly fallible. Up to 30% of the time, it indicates a man has cancer when in fact he does not. The dog's nose has proven better able to distinguish cancer cells than laboratory tests, helping men avoid chemotherapy they do not need.
She liked the story about Mitch Peterson of Indiana, whose dog, London, actually clicked on a pacemaker-like device for him to avert his seizures. And Mike Lingenfelter of Texas, whose Golden Retriever, Cody, alerted him when he was about to have one of his many heart attacks.
When I looked on the website for The Dugout, I read that the program catered to “men looking to preserve and improve their vitality, longevity and youthfulness.”
Tara listed her top six ways to avoid chronic low back pain. Mine is -- get a dog. One of the reasons dog owners are healthier than the general population is because they exercise more. They walk their dog, or play ball with him. Even the simple act of caring for the dog means a person has to get off the couch and move around. For those reading the latest reports from the Center for Disease Control, our physical inactivity is the major underlying cause of dying before your time.
Another major benefit of owning a dog was proven by a study of 100 New York City stockbrokers who were on medication for high blood pressure. Dr. Karen Allen of Wisconsin State University supervised the addition to a pet to their homes, and charted the result. Their stress levels dropped dramatically. Nearly half of them were able to go off their medication.
A record producer I interviewed at a Canine Companions for Independence graduation on Long Island found himself in a wheelchair after a car accident. With the help of a service dog, he is able to be independent and negotiate the city streets and his job by himself, without needing a caregiver with him all day. The dog turns on lights; presses elevator buttons, brings the cellphone, gets files from his desk, and carefully brings everything he needs. Plus, he gets a friend by his side to listen to music.
Therapy dogs in nursing homes are very popular with elderly men. There was a 90-year old drill sergeant in hospice with only weeks left -- until a Yorkshire Terrier therapy dog showed up. He got such a spark to live and see Missy twice a week; he lived happily three more years.
The actor Mickey Rourke touched the audience at the Golden Globes last year with his acceptance speech for Best Actor. “Sometimes when a man's alone, all you got are your dogs and they meant the world to me.” About his Chihuahua, he said, “She’s like a giant Xanax, you know? I’m not going to get religious on your ass, but I truly believe God created dogs for a cause. They are the greatest companions a man could ever have.”
Before the broadcast, I was nervous about how I would be viewed by Tara’s guests, sports masters Ronnie Kovach and Rudy Carreno, wealth topic expert Mark Malan and security specialist Robert Siciliano. But they proved to be interested in the healing power of dogs. Mark even shared an upbeat story of taking his dog to visit a sick friend in the hospital.
Thank you, Tara Grace, for bringing the message of the healing power of dogs to your audience of sports hungry men.
For More Information: KLAA, AM 830, the home of Angels’ baseball; The Men's Dugout Sunday morning broadcast; Dr. Tara Grace’s website. Prostate cancer screening information; Cancer and BioDetection Dogs Centre in England; the healing power of dogs.
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