Did you pet an animal today? If not, you may be putting yourself at risk.
According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey (sponsored by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association), the dogs and other pets found in 71.1 million households (which is 63 percent of all U.S. households) can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, prevent heart disease, lower health care costs, and fight depression.
If they can do that for you, imagine what they can do for your meeting.
For example, Catie Copley, the black Labrador whose job is K9 Ambassador at the 383-room Fairmont Copley Place in Boston, is a surprise guest at meeting breaks about once a month, says Jim Carey, director of concierge services and Catie's master. The breaks are elegantly done in the Grand Ballroom or the Venetian Room, with coffee service and dogbone-shaped cookies for the humans. "She doesn't approach you," he adds. "She waits for you to take a few steps toward her."
Probably her training allows her to do what she does at the hotel. "Catie was trained as a guide dog for the blind, but developed a small cataract so she's a 'career-change dog,' " says Suzanne Wenz, regional director of public relations for Fairmont.
"Many times [attendees] want to use that break to make a phone call or run to their room. They see her and they decide to stay around," says Carey, who agrees that interacting with a canine like Catie can foster wellness. "[The attendees are] in such a rush and so busy with everything they do during the day, but when they see her, it slows their pace. Their bodies relax, and a big smile comes to their faces."
Canine ambassadors are increasingly common; several Fairmont, Loews, and Kimpton properties have them, as does the 700-room The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, CO, whose dog, Ruger, is in training.
But animals are capable of giving much more. Last summer, financial services provider Ernst & Young had a company retreat at a Park City, UT, where, at the National Recover Center, they participated in therapeutic horseback-riding, or hippotherapy. "We're the largest provider of adaptive recreation in the country," says Ryan Jensen, NAC's outreach and marketing manager. "We teach over 26,000 lessons per year," which, he adds, are often taught by people with disabilities. According to Jensen, the horses help people gain confidence, muscle control, and balance. "It doesn't matter if the person has difficulty walking," says Jensen, "or they could be an amputee. Once they're on a horse, they're as able as the horse is. It kind of levels the playing field," he concludes.
The center's Lodge at the Ranch has 26 fully accessible rooms and can sleep up to 60 people, says Jensen. Corporate groups do ropes courses and service programs, which might involve maintaining trails where a coworker's kid might someday sit tall in the saddle and take a solo ride.
Of the many programs that offer animal interaction, perhaps the "splashiest" have to do with dolphins.
At the SeaWorlds of San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando, interactions with dolphins and Beluga whales are popular; at SeaWorld Orlando's Dolphin Cove, spokesperson Lauren Skowyra says, "Evening events can be planned, where guests enjoy a sumptuous array of food and beverages, [and can] wade into the water with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins."
A study by Japanese scientists noted that dolphins increase their vocalizations when humans are near and that this form of sonar, which is able to penetrate the human body; is the basis for claims that dolphin encounters are therapy. Florida's Hawks Cay Resort offers the Dolphin Connection, where individuals with special needs participate in one-on-one sessions. Group interactions, for groups of up to eight persons, are available for everyone. And while spouses and families tend to be the participants, Cheryl Messinger, the Dolphin Connection's director, suggests an interaction as a teambuilding activity "for a CEO and his team."
On Hawaii's Big Island, Dolphin Quest has hosted dolphin programs for children and adults with autism, Down's Syndrome, mobility challenges, leukemia, and other conditions. "We do our best to find creative ways to adjust our program to make the guests feel comfortable so that they can focus on having fun, learning about dolphins, and creating a special connection that will last a lifetime," says Jason Price, director of sales and marketing for Dolphin Quest at the 1,240-room Hilton Waikoloa Village. A special needs coordinator is on staff the make adjustments in the dolphin encounter programs to accommodate individual needs.
Both the Dolphin Connection and Dolphin Quest work with the Make A Wish Foundation and other philanthropic organizations in order to help special needs children experience encounters with dolphins. For a 13-year-old autistic boy, for example, special needs coordinator Jennifer Clark began by e-mailing the boy photos of the lagoon, the check-in area, herself, and Lono, the dolphin. "When he and his family arrived at the resort," says Price, "he recognized her right away."
For groups meeting at these resorts, the healing opportunity is twofold: They can experience dolphin encountersand make contributions to these organizations so that others can, too.
Originally published May 01, 2008
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