From cuddling cows to practicing yoga with goats, discover how four-legged friends improve health and well-being for people of all ages.
This information has been verified by Catherine Giannaro.
Amy Cobb, 41, of Oak Brook, had been sick for several years when she decided to try something called cow hugging. Cobb had stage 4 pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer that had spread to her liver; she was undergoing treatment for endocrine tumors and was fed through a tube. She was often nauseous and fatigued and had just started walking on her own again.
It was very difficult. But, Cobb says, “I felt very safe being with the cows. I didn’t feel sick at all.” The experience allowed her to forget everything she was going through. “I left feeling very happy.”
Dan and Luz Klotz, owners of Luz Farm in Mooney, Illinois, where Cobb cuddled her, learned about cow hugging during the pandemic when farmers across Europe were opening up their farms to people in need of a hug. Luz’s initial reaction? “Who would pay to cuddle a cow?”
Today, the Klotz family is busy with eight cows, four goats, one pig, one miniature horse, and thousands of enthusiastic customers from all over the country, many of whom are repeat visitors.
Dan, who has trained the cows at Luz Farm, says the 650- to 1,500-pound cows love to be held and brushed before the cuddling begins. Dan attributes the cuddling sensation and resulting endorphin release to the cows’ extremely warm body temperature: 101 degrees.
The endorphins humans release as a result—serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin—ease pain, reduce stress, and promote a sense of well-being. Research shows that petting animals creates an automatic relaxation response.
“I can’t explain how it happens, but it’s in my bones,” says Dan. He has rheumatoid arthritis, but when he’s with the cows, he says his body doesn’t hurt. “No painkiller, no aspirin, no Humira can do that.”
work like a dog
According to Darlene Kelly, director of the Department of Recreational Therapy and Child Life at Shriners Hospital, animals have been helping the hospital since the mid-1990s. Kelly founded the hospital's Recreational Therapy for Children program, and she uses dogs and miniature horses to distract, relieve stress and lift the spirits of patients and staff. The animals also assist in physical, occupational and speech therapy.
It's easy to understand how seeing a pony in boots or a dog walking down the hall might distract one from boredom, pain, or missing friends, family, and pets at home. Therapeutically, petting or brushing a dog or horse can also help improve range of motion and fine motor skills.
“Enjoyable, goal-oriented activities, such as holding a fork and feeding a dog carrots or green beans, help patients with activities of daily living,” Kelly says. Animals motivate patients to walk longer distances, move an arm or hand, and learn or remember daily living tasks, such as brushing their teeth. Children can often be seen on a leash as they wander the hallways with a dog or miniature horse, their handler, and the animal’s handler.
Kelly recalls a speech therapist who had no success getting his patient to talk—until a dog walked in, and the child spontaneously exclaimed, “Dog! Dog!”
The goal of each patient’s treatment is the driving force behind an AAT session, says Carol Schuster, president of Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy in Morton Grove. Rainbow is one of Chicago’s oldest and largest therapy dog organizations, and Shriners Children’s is one of its oldest programs.
In addition to hospitals, the animals help in schools, libraries, rehabilitation clinics, and more. For example, after the mass shooting at the 2022 Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Rainbow was called in to help. Schuster says the dogs helped take the pressure off police officers and first responders. “One hospital that saw a lot of victims had our dogs continue to visit the emergency room staff for months after the event,” she says.
Rainbow also worked with the Highland Park High School band, which was very close to the shooting. “We take our cues from the dogs in community response situations,” Schuster says. “The dog will tell us who needs us the most.”
When Rainbow’s therapy dog team arrived, the students were sitting on platforms. Typically, participants in large groups remain seated while the dog visits each one individually. “On this day, it was clear that the dog needed to go past the first three rows of platforms to sit next to a particular child, who petted the dog and burst into tears,” Schuster says.
While the dogs are paying attention to the people, Rainbow’s therapy teams are taking care of the dogs. Studies show that dogs’ cortisol levels rise while they’re working. Schuster says the cortisol spike is noticeable after 60 minutes. To keep the dogs from getting stressed, Rainbow limits her work time to an hour. When working one-on-one, sessions typically last 20 to 30 minutes. “It’s intense work for the dogs,” she says.
Finding Confidence Through Equine Therapy
While dogs are more commonly considered therapy animals, horses excel at picking up on human emotions as well.
“Horses’ innate ability to read and respond to moods, intentions and behaviors makes them very effective mirrors,” says Diane Cheesman, therapist and owner of Lincolnshire Stable Places, a center that offers equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy services. At Stable Places, the barn and outdoors serve as the office, and the horses—through experiential therapy—become a metaphor for the client’s life. Cheesman holds a master’s degree in psychiatric mental health nursing and is certified in equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy through the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association.
EAPL’s technology is experiential. In addition to talking, clients move through the space or do something with their hands. Cheesman says the experiential process can enable clients to integrate what they’re working on in a different, deeper, more permanent way.
One man was used to getting things done and moving quickly. Chessman tasked him with moving horses from one place to another. The client moved toward the horses with commanding energy. The uninterested horses turned away. After exploring the situation, the man realized that he had been operating this way for most of his life. Just as his behavior was alienating the horses, it was also alienating family and others.
Once the man became aware in real time, he slowed down internally, changing his outward expression, and the horses responded to him in a completely different way, Cheesman says.
Cheeseman regularly works with clients who need specialized attention in areas such as social skills, anxiety, distractibility and confidence. Other clients, ages 4 to 70 or older, may be struggling with trauma, Lyme disease or other mental health challenges. “There’s nothing wrong,” Cheeseman says.
No horse handling experience is required, no riding is involved, and equine-assisted therapy is often covered by insurance.
goat yoga
There's also yoga with goats. Michelle Abbs, owner of Nature's Trail Yoga in Orland Park, says the experience, which combines yoga with physical therapy, is as rewarding to the goats as it is to people. “It makes people happy, makes them smile, makes them feel good. The animals can't wait to go to class.”
Before class, the goats roam the studio. During yoga, the goats lie next to a participant, sometimes curiously and gently exploring the space with their mouths.
“Goats can sense who needs extra attention or emotional support. It’s amazing how intuitive they are,” says Abbs. “We had a guy in a wheelchair who was paralyzed from the waist down. He sat on the floor and Cookie (a goat) went right behind him to support him and the whole class just lay there.”
Participants are welcome to pet and cuddle the goats, as well as put their feet on them. “I’ve had some participants lie down with their arms around the goats for the entire class, which is also therapeutic,” says Abbs. “Even if you come to class angry, you’ll leave smiling.”
Cows, dogs, horses, goats, oh my! It is not yet known who started this relationship between man and animal. But according to research, this relationship dates back to prehistoric times.
By Kathleen Aharoni
Kathleen Aharoni is a movement and life coach, and forest bathing guide, Author of the award-winning book I Breathe My Breath! She has served on the faculty at Northwestern University and Columbia College.
