狗對做治療犬有何感想

石斯琳

Anyone who knows dogs probably knows the answer to this question.

懂狗的人大概知道這個問題的答案。

Some humans may think that dogs are reliant2 on us， but in truth， it may be the humans who are reliant on dogs. Of course， its actually a two-way street—like a good kind of co-dependent relationship. But one thing is certain： Dogs do a lot for us and should be rewarded3 with our respect.

有些人可能認(rèn)為狗依賴我們，但事實也可能是人類依賴狗。當(dāng)然了，這種依賴是雙向的，更像是一種良好的互相依存關(guān)系。然而有一件事是可以肯定的，那就是狗為我們做出了太多貢獻(xiàn)，值得我們尊敬。

In the United States， there are almost 90 million dogs who provide companionship4 as pets at home. There are also tens of thousands more who work as service dogs， or work in the military， or search and rescue， or who spend their days sniffing5 for drugs and explosives. And of course， there are the therapy dogs. These are sweet helpers. They can help people who have suffered everything from trauma6 and health conditions to dementia7.

在美國，大約有近9000萬只狗在家里作為寵物陪伴主人。也有成千上萬只狗作為服務(wù)犬、軍犬、搜救犬或緝毒犬（靠嗅覺發(fā)現(xiàn)毒品和爆炸物），當(dāng)然也少不了治療犬。它們是貼心的小幫手。不管是經(jīng)歷創(chuàng)傷和有健康問題的人，還是患有癡呆癥的病人，治療犬都能幫助治愈。

There are more than 50，000 therapy dogs working in the United States. They do so much for us. So its only reasonable to ask： Do they enjoy the work？ It would be awful to think that they dont.

美國有5萬多只治療犬奮斗在一線。它們?yōu)槿祟愖龀龅呢暙I(xiàn)如此之多，因此提出這個問題完全合乎情理：它們是否享受這份工作？如果不享受，那真是太可怕了。

Thankfully， a group of researchers has looked at the question. In the report， the team found that the dogs they study didnt seem to mind at all. And in fact， in most cases they seem to enjoy it.

值得慶幸的是，一個研究團隊對這個問題進(jìn)行了研究。報告中稱，治療犬們似乎并不在乎這份工作的苦累。實際上，它們更多時候是處于享受狀態(tài)的。

The research centered around dogs visiting pediatric8 oncology9 patients from around the United States.

研究主要圍繞全美兒科腫瘤病人身邊的治療犬展開。

The researchers determined stress by measuring10 levels of the stress hormone11， cortisol12， in the dogs saliva13. Samples were taken both at home and during therapy times. The team also analyzed the dogs behaviors.

研究人員通過狗唾液中的壓力荷爾蒙——皮質(zhì)醇的水平來確定治療犬的壓力狀態(tài)。研究團隊分別收集了治療犬兩個狀態(tài)下的唾液樣本：在家和治療期間。同時，團隊也分析了這些狗的行為。

Its said that the scientists found no difference between the study dogs cortisol levels at home and at the hospital. It meant that the therapy dogs were not particularly stressed.

根據(jù)報道，科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)治療犬在家中和醫(yī)院兩種狀態(tài)下的壓力并無差別（皮質(zhì)醇檢測結(jié)果相同）。這意味著治療犬并沒有感到特別有壓力。

But does a lack of stress mean that they actually enjoyed the work？

但沒有壓力就意味著治療犬們真的享受工作嗎？

For the most part， yes！Although they apparently enjoyed some things more. For example， when a child talks to the dog or when the dog plays with its toy， the dogs appeared to be more friendly and happier.

是的，差不多可以這樣說，盡管它們在做別的活動時明顯會更享受。例如，當(dāng)有小孩兒跟狗狗聊天或者狗狗在玩玩具的時候，它們會更友好、更開心。

The study leader Amy McCullough notes， “Its fair to say that some activities are more fun for the dog. This is good information for handlers—they can choose the activities that they think their dog would enjoy.”

該研究的帶頭人艾米·麥卡洛提到：“公平地說，對狗狗而言，有些活動比它們的工作更有趣。這對訓(xùn)練者來說是好消息——他們可以選擇他們認(rèn)為對治療犬來說比較有趣的活動?！?/p>

This also brings up a good point. A lot of people think their perfect pet would be perfect for the job—but it has to ensure that the dog benefits as well.

這也為我們找到了一個好的切入點。很多人認(rèn)為他們的完美寵物完全適合做治療犬這份工作。但現(xiàn)在看來，需要確保狗狗自身也從中受益。

“It needs to be a mutually14 beneficial interaction when they are visiting with the client，” says McCullough， “so its important that the dog really loves their job.”

麥卡洛說道：“當(dāng)治療犬為病人提供治療時，必須確保這是一個雙方互利的交流。所以，狗狗是否熱愛治療工作對我們來說很重要?！?/p>