Residents in the UAE are calling for a formal test for service pets, which will allow animal assistants to accompany certain individuals into public areas including restaurants, hotels and shops.
For many years, animals have increasingly been used as a means of therapy, providing comfort and support for people suffering with a variety of conditions including severe anxiety, depression and autism. For Filipino expat Sweetsun Jhailo, her first cat saved her from committing suicide.
For British expat Rhys Williams, his dog saved him from drowning when he was just 11, and for George Winter, his dog Bella helps his wellbeing by being there with him every day.
However, at present in the UAE, only guide dogs for the blind have permission to accompany owners anywhere they want or need to go.
On the grounds that owners seek the right training for their pets to help support their psychological or physical impairment, many residents here say a "public access test" would be a huge step forward for those reliant on animals for therapy.
Similar to evaluation systems in the US or UK, Dubai resident Zara Mirza said the test would ensure that the animal is stable, well-behaved and unobtrusive to the public, demonstrating owner control over the animal.
"My son has autism and we recently rescued a dog here and started working with a positive animal behaviourist. The end-goal is for him to become an autism-support dog, but there is no such licence here to recognise him as a therapy dog, which means we can't take him certain places," she told Khaleej Times.
Now seven, Mirza's son Aiden has been interacting with therapy animals for over three years.
"It was horse riding to begin with and it was about giving him directives and verbal commands like 'climb on the horse'. When we got our own dog in 2018, it had a huge impact on him. When he is emotionally dysregulated, we take him for a walk and having the dog in that helps. He likes interacting with dog more than people as he doesn't have pressure to talk. When he is happy or sad, he turns to the dog for cuddles too."
While the benefits of animal therapy include helping people with loneliness and isolation, social situations - like crowded spots or loud environments - often trigger negative reactions for many conditions.
As such, Karen Rhodes, owner of a dog services company, said the introduction of a test which licences the owner to bring pets into certain public areas will help them cope better.
"I believe any place which can be stressful for certain groups of people should allow therapy animals. This could be the workplace for individual with severe anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or airports, as they are particularly stressful for those with sensory issues."
More than just a want, the science proves the benefits too, as many studies show animal interactions bolster better physical and mental wellbeing.
Claire Moutrie, PATH Int. therapeutic riding instructor at Equestrian Association for People of Determination, said autistic children gain "self-control and improve concentration, communication and social skills when riding horses". And children with cerebral palsy find that riding "relaxes tight muscles, builds muscle strength and improves posture". Stroking a dog has a calming effect on humans too, helping to lower the stress hormone cortisol.
For Aime Orme, dog behaviourist and owner of Pawfect Behaviour in Dubai, her own dog is amazing at spotting her panic attacks and calming her down.
"Allowing people suffering from debilitating conditions to have service dogs accompany them in public would really improve their quality of life. Across the world, we can see organisations utilisting this for guide dogs for the blind to service dogs for those with limited mobility and anxiety and PTSD. Safety and education would be paramount in any further initiative though.
Education to provide less fear around dogs generally and education on how not to approach those dogs who are working," she said.
A certification programme is also a must to ensure those dogs who are in public spaces are safe to be there in terms of having been trained to cope with the environment, allowing them to do their job.
In other parts of the world, therapy animals are most commonly seen in hospitals, nursing homes, schools and disaster areas. It is also becoming more common to see therapy animals in courtrooms, where "they are being used successfully to help victims talk about traumatic events and assist with post-traumatic stress disorder", Dr Hannah Rowles, veterinary surgeon at British Veterinary Hospital, told Khaleej Times.
"I see real benefits in allowing people to utilise therapy animals in situations that may make them feel anxious, such as travelling, being away from home, being out in public and so on. However, I do believe there needs to be guidelines in place to ensure animals can accompany their owners safely, while not causing disruption or discomfort to other members of the public."
Rules for travelling with animals
Animals are not permitted in the cabin of Emirates flights, with the exception of falcons between Dubai and certain destinations in Pakistan. An exception is also made for guide dogs for the blind, which may travel free of charge in the aircraft cabin on direct Emirates flights from European Union member states to Dubai or to or from Dubai to the US and Canada. In accordance with UAE Federal Government regulations, all other animals must enter the UAE as manifested cargo.
Case studies
Kristina Kesner
Ive struggled with depression for most of my life. At the start of December, I fostered one struggling mum and her pup. Being forced to care for them, walking them, feeding them, shifting focus from my emptiness to their needs switched something on inside of me. Its been over a month now that theyve been with me and I cant explain how it feels. Pets force you to function. They force you to care and they force you to emote, which is so hard when on your own. Ive woken up. Im sure Ill roll down again one day, depression never goes away, but Im damn sure I wont allow myself to go down as deeply, as long as shes with me. From small profound changes pets trigger in our lives, to the life-saving importance they can have, Ill be forever grateful theyre here to love us back.
Kirsty Kavanagh
Having been made redundant and struggling to find another role, I was getting more and more depressed. My friend persuaded me to foster a dog as I was home during the day and could put the time in. Gulliver was with us a month during which time I got back a routine. There was someone else to think about. Long story short, he gave me purpose to my days. The next foster quickly followed, and the next, and the next. I got more involved with the various rescue groups and eventually set up my own business relocating adopted pets abroad. None of this would have happened if Gulliver and the others had not come into my life. He saved me as much as I saved him. I now have two dogs who became foster fails plus the two cats that we had already adopted. My life revolves around pets, my own and other peoples.
Anonymous
I picked up my guy from a rescue centre in Johannesburg. He was dishevelled and had bald patches from stress or blunt force trauma, which I was advised would never go away. We clicked straight away. At this point I was very low, I suffer from PTSD from my military service and was also going through a bad patch with my fianc. She had just moved back to Scotland and we were about to call it quits. That guy pulled me through very dark days indeed. I think we helped each other. His bald patches are gone and hes a handsome boy, proper heartbreaker. My fianc is now my wife and this guy continues to know me better than anyone, especially when the bad times set in.
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