Butch's feelings of isolation could be penetrated by a pet who is non-threatening and approaches him with unconditional acceptance. A pet might also connect him to a happier time in his life.

Molly's situation is typical of many people who enter assisted living or long-term care facilities. Though the trend is changing, many facilities do not allow residents to bring or have pets, so the opportunity to visit with one's pet is an important option. A study conducted by Warwick University in the United Kingdom explored issues faced by residents entering long term care. Their findings revealed the importance of the bond between people and companion animals, and affirmed the impact of the loss of this connection when people are forced to break that bond.

• Residents who had owned pets immediately before entry showed significantly more negative feelings toward the move; were less likely to regard the residence as 'home' and took longer to adjust to routines within the home and to 'feel settled.'
• Former pet owners took longer to make friends, and were more likely to avoid joining social activities
• Former pet owners reported more difficulty in sleeping at the time of entry, took longer to establish regular sleeping patterns and were more likely to require sleeping tablets during the adjustment time
• And importantly, they were reluctant to confide in staff the reasons for their unhappiness, believing that their feelings would be trivialized or just not understood.

For years, anecdotal information—stories—of the benefits of contact and bonding between people and companion animals have abounded. Recently, the field of human-animal bonding has grown and matured, with formal, scientific research studies having been conducted. These studies reveal that contact with companion animals can have a significant positive result on the well-being of many people. For people who live independently, having companion animals in one's life is typically based on choice and convenience. For many people who are not living independently, the opportunity to interact with, and the therapeutic value of human-animal bonding must be an intentional and planned process.

What are "typical" situations in which C-CUSP care teams might volunteer?
In addition to the stories of Kris, Butch and Molly, positive results of intentionally incorporating pets into many other situations have been recorded. Among them are:

• Pets have been found to help children who have experienced loss. Children seem able to express feeling of grief and bereavement to a non-judgmental pet more easily than to a person. Sometimes just holding and cuddling a pet gives children (and adults) a feeling of comfort and connection.
• Autistic children have been found to respond to pets at times when adults have not been able to elicit a response.
• People in later stages of Alzheimer's Disease typically respond best to stimuli that trigger more than one sense simultaneously. Pets stimulate visual, tactile and auditory senses, and often invoke a memory from the past as well.
• Experience also supports the ways in which dogs, in particular, are useful in helping with stroke victims. A stroke victim with left-side partial paralysis, for example, can be given specific goals such as sitting up, standing and memory recall. As one incorporates a pet into this situation, the care team might bring the dog to the patient on the left side so he/she is motivated to reach out with the left hand to pet the animal. They might also tell the patient facts about the animal—name, age or favorite food. Several minutes later the patient could be asked to recall the information—an exercise that helps with recall.
• Pets decrease a sense of loneliness in people who live alone or who feel alone even in the presents of others.

Research and documentation of successful use of companion animals continues. Several articles reporting these results are included at the end of this article.