A volunteer’s soft voice and pat on the back don’t always calm people who have just been exposed to extreme events like a terror attack. Sometimes, it takes wordless encouragement and love with a wag of the tail and maybe a lick from a dog trained to work with handlers who are trained in psychotrauma.
United Hatzalah (UH), the volunteer-based emergency medical services organization providing free service throughout Israel, last week held an emotional ceremony at its national headquarters in Jerusalem, marking the completion of the training course and launch of its Psychotrauma Canine Unit.
This specialized unit – the first and only unit of its kind in Israel – operates on a fully voluntary basis, 24/7, providing initial psychotrauma support at disaster scenes and emergencies through emotional support dogs. Its mission is to provide immediate medical intervention during the critical window between the onset of an emergency and the arrival of traditional ambulance assistance and to deliver essential support to people who need it during their most difficult moments.
Eli Beer, UH’s founder and president, said the “launch of the Psychotrauma Canine Unit is a major step in providing emotional support during emergencies. These trained dogs and their handlers offer comfort to those in distress, and we are committed to expanding this vital service. Our 10 special dogs play a significant role in reducing anxiety and stress among victims, as they provide a sense of calm and tranquility, thereby contributing to accelerated recovery.”
Dr. Batya Jaffe is part of the unit and is an animal-assisted therapist who studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed her doctorate at Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work in New York. She is also a senior researcher in animal-assisted interventions at the Geha Mental Health Center in Petah Tikva. Her friend Hadas Rucham, a social worker, leads the unit and organized the course with her own dog.
Jaffe owns two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, one of whom – 11 years old but full of energy and dedication – accompanies her on her mission. She brought her pet, named Lucy, to the UH’s year-long Psychotrauma Canine Unit course, where the dogs participated alongside their owners, practicing various emergency scenarios such as exposure to crowded places, professional functioning at mass casualty incidents, and assisting wounded individuals inside ambulances.
The dogs are fitted with orange, black, and white vests suited to their size, like the vests worn by all of UH’s emergency volunteers when on the job. A dog may identify an increase in the level of anxiety, pull victims out and “ground” them during an anxiety attack, or lead them to a quiet and safe place in a public space.
“It’s not like the large service dogs who help the blind, the disabled, or those with various other conditions. Ours are of various breeds trained for crisis response,” Jaffe told The Jerusalem Post in an interview. Jaffe once took Lucy to work even on Shabbat because the traumatic event was near her home.
“Our dogs know to whom to go; they can feel the stress. The volunteers are careful not to bring the dogs to anyone who is probably not used to them or fears them. Our emergency medical technicians go first to treat the victim and check whether they would welcome an encounter with a dog,” Jaffe explained.
“We don’t want to cause more stress. We wouldn’t take Lucy to ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Mea She’arim. There are some haredim who say they fear dogs ‘because the Nazis used them to attack and round up Jews during the Holocaust.’ Many observant Muslims are also reluctant to be touched by a dog, especially before prayers. There are cultural influences.
“The pets enjoy what they do. They work hard at the scene any time of the day or night, and then they go to sleep when they return home. Their main work is about making a connection with the victim. They are icebreakers. The stressed person may ask for the animal’s name, pet the furry dog, look into their eyes, while the dog gives love, all without any verbal communication to the handler.”
Cats may be suitable as therapy animals too
A Washington State University study just published in the journal Animals suggested that cats could fill an assistive niche as therapy animals, offering stress relief to those in need of emotional support.
Despite the perception that cats just aren’t suitable for this kind of work, the study showed that some cats may thrive in these settings, as the felines tend to be more social with both humans and other cats, more attention-seeking, and more tolerant of being handled. Some people may find comfort in a cat’s quiet presence rather than the enthusiastic energy of a dog.
However, not all cats are suited for the role, and unlike dogs, therapy cats are not typically trained for the job. Jaffe said she has not met anyone who worked with cats as therapy animals.
“There is a need for more volunteers and dogs,” Jaffe added, “but I don’t know when the next course will open. Would-be volunteers should contact Alon Inbal at United Hatzalah’s headquarters for information.”
Prof. Ehud Davidson, the CEO of UH, commented: “We are proud to be pioneers in deploying psychotrauma dogs at disaster scenes and emergency situations, and we are confident that this model will be replicated and studied worldwide.
The psychotrauma dogs are an integral part of our aid system at disaster scenes. Their ability to provide immediate psychological support to the injured and affected, and to reduce anxiety in critical situations, is an important component in our success in alleviating suffering and facilitating more professional and rapid recovery.”
Eli Pollak, his deputy, concluded that “the moving launch of the unit represents another step in enhancing our ability to offer customized and immediate psychological assistance at disaster scenes. We are proud to be the first in this field in Israel and will do everything to professionalize, develop, and expand it.”