Dreamcatcher's History
Dreamcatcher has been in existence since June 21, 2003. The idea of running such a program was born by a move to the country, a deep love for animals, and a love for people who require extra help to reach their full potential.
Animal-assisted and nature-assisted therapies are fairly new to Canada but the research conducted on the benefits of such therapy is remarkably supportive. Dreamcatcher was established with the hopes of being able to provide a naturally therapeutic setting for those who have difficulty in their everyday lives and have not yet found a way to deal with their issues. The unconditional love and honesty of animals, the healing power of nature and the reality of farm life, combined with the expertise of on-site therapists are the tools utilized to help those in need to reach their goals.
The name Dreamcatcher was chosen from a list of 200 creatively devised ideas. Once this enormous list was narrowed down to 4 names, the names were distributed to 15 children between the ages of 6 and 12. The most popular of the 4 was Dreamcatcher and when asked why, nearly all the children in the survey suggested it meant "catching dreams." With no intent on choosing an aboriginal name, the response from the children and the fact that the legend dreamcatcher's purpose is to catch the bad dreams while allowing the person sleeping to receive the good dreams, it became a perfect representation for what the organization was hoping to accomplish: our Dreamcatcher will hold the bad stuff while you take away the good stuff.
Dreamcatcher serves hundreds of families a year and works with more than 40 province-wide agencies who takes part in the many programs offered at Dreamcatcher. The response from the community has been one of enthusiasm, with many volunteers offering to help in any way possible. Dreamcatcher's clients and their caregivers have expressed overwhelming appreciation and support for the work that Dreamcatcher does.
History of Animal-Assisted Therapy
Thousands of years ago, humans and nature were one. There were no concrete jungles better known today as "cities". It has been said that man and woman lived in caves and animals and humans shared a special relationship. Archeologists suggest that over 10,000 years ago, the wolf/dog was the first animal to be domesticated - helping man with hunting and carrying loads. The Egyptians tamed African tabby wildcats to hunt mice and rats which led to the cat becoming one of the most worshipped creatures of that era. The ancient Greeks used horses to provide physical therapy to rehabilitate injured soldiers (hippotherapy).
Using animals to help people in a therapy setting has been recorded as far back as 1867 at Bethel, a residential treatment center for persons with epilepsy (McCulloch, 1983). The Society of Friends founded York Retreat in England in 1792 (Levinson, 1965) and often incorporated animals into the treatment of patients with mental illness in an effort to "reduce the use of harsh drugs and restraints." In North America, St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington D.C., introduced dogs as companions for residents in psychiatric care in 1919. There were many centres using animals to assist people in the 19th century; unfortunately, these preliminary uses of animal-assisted therapy were replaced by psychotropic medications during the early part of the 20th century. In 1944, James Bossard published a paper discussing the many roles a family pet may play. It included a source of unconditional love and outlet for people's desire to express love, a social lubricant, and a companion and teacher of children on topics such as sex education and responsibility. Ever since the 1950's and onwards, there has been an increase in the number of professional therapists in North America who recognize and value animals as therapeutic tools.
