On November 14, 2023, CPT’s Mark Spivak delivered the keynote speech during the Bibb County Medical Society’s annual meeting. Bibb County Medical Society (BCMS) is Central Georgia’s physician professional organization affiliated with the Medical Association of Georgia. The mission of the Medical Association of Georgia and BCMS is to “empower Georgia physicians to lead healthcare for the betterment of our communities.” Their vision is “to be the collective voice of physicians while making Georgia the best place to practice medicine in the United States.” BCMS consists of approximately 270 Macon-area physicians engaged in a variety of medical disciplines- from primary care and pediatrics, to oncology, cardiology, neurosurgery and many other specialties.
The event, held at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences, started with hors d’oeuvres and then progressed to an elegant buffet dinner in the captivating atrium of the Museum. We then proceeded into the Museum’s auditorium, where Dr. Paul Roddenberry, BCMS’s President, held a quick business meeting. Upon the conclusion of organization business, which included 2024 budget approval and the nomination of new officers, it was time for Mark’s speech.
Overview of Mark’s Presentation
Mark was invited by BCMS Executive Director Dale Mathews and Board Member Dr. Cheryl Jones, who were inspired after reading about Mark and CPT in the New York Times best-selling book “Doctor Dogs.” Hence, the title of Mark’s presentation was “Doctor Dogs: The Benefit of Highly Trained Dogs for Human Medical Patients and Practitioners.”
Given the wide variety of medical disciplines represented and wanting to ensure that something was interesting to everyone, Mark divided the lecture into 3 subject areas:
Service Dogs- Selection, Training, Roles, and Benefits
Mark started by discussing the criteria essential when selecting an optimal service dog candidate; the rigorous evaluation process; and why certain client programs will prefer a puppy, whereas others will require a young adult animal. He then discussed military-funded research projects he co-founded, where using fMRI his team developed a brain activity algorithm that had a 94% positive predictive value for service dog selection. Mark followed by describing a genetics project in which he was the principal investigator (PI), where using genome-wide association (GWAS) his team identified 24 genetic markers indicative of service dog success or failure.
Once discussing high-tech evaluation methods, CPT field evaluation processes, and the importance of accurate candidate selection, Mark explained the Hands-On, Board Train, and Combo training options available at CPT. The explanation included procedures, timelines, cost differences, and suitability, dependent upon each dog’s eventual task role.
Mark next communicated the diverse variety of task roles for which CPT trains service dogs, including dogs mitigating the limitations and effects of psychiatric, cognitive, metabolic, sensory, cardiac, neurological, and mobility disabilities. To vivify this section, Mark displayed videos of CPT-trained service dogs in action.
He showed videos of service dogs:
The dogs serve CPT clients who suffer from spinal cord injury after a diving accident; traumatic brain injury after a fencing accident; congenital spastic diplegia (a type of cerebral palsy); right-lateral hemianopsia, after being on the unfortunate side of a bicycle-truck collision; idiopathic epilepsy; and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the final slide of the service dog section of the presentation, Mark displayed a quote from the mother of a CPT service dog client.
“Max and Eyota are inseparable- ‘like peas and carrots.’ Forrest Gump is his father’s favorite movie. Eyota has been an integral part of Max’s journey to a more independent mobility and activity and has been a beloved best friend since day one. Thank you for all your help.”
The quote is unsurpassable in summarizing the benefits of a service dog.
Behavior Modification- Similarities Between Canine and Human Treatment
After completing the service dog section, Mark discussed correlations between canine and human psychiatry. He compared structural MRI images of dog brains alongside those of human brains. Furthermore, he explained the similarity in regional brain structure and the reasons for minor differences in brain appearance- humans have more convolutions and a larger prefrontal cortex, whereas dogs have a larger olfactory bulb and a lower brain weight as a percentage of overall body weight.
Mark then segued to the variety of psychiatric conditions addressed by both canine and human behavior modification interventions, including modalities to reduce or extinguish:
Mark advanced the section by discussing canine and human treatment parallels using holistic, homeopathic, nutritional, quality of life, prescription medication, counterconditioning, systematic desensitization, inhibitory control training, play therapy, physical stimulation, cognitive stimulation, prevention/interruption, and replacement behavior modalities. He then concluded the behavior modification portion of the presentation by showing videos of CPT successfully modifying the behavior of reactive dogs.
Facility and Therapy Dogs- Benefits in Rehabilitation and Behavioral Medicine
The next phase of the presentation focused on the utility of trained dogs in human rehabilitation and behavioral medicine. Mark discussed the unique benefits of professional programs integrating highly-trained facility or therapy dogs in daily or weekly physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, group mental health counseling, and individual counseling treatments. He then showed a video of a CPT-trained dog assisting the development of gross motor skills during a physical therapy appointment and discussed the valuable role of CPT-trained dogs in advancing the rehabilitation of patients suffering spinal cord trauma, where the integration of trained dogs improved patient cooperation, attitude, and outcomes.
Mark also explained how the presence of a trained dog may relax patients undergoing psychotherapy, whereby the patient becomes more open and the practitioner observes expedited results. For instance, with adolescents and elementary age children, play therapy with a dog may be more successful than play therapy with a human. Moreover, with persons of any age, the mere presence of a dog, along with the ability of the dog to perform deep-pressure behaviors, may facilitate improved talk therapy. And pleasant interaction with a trained therapy canine can be an essential part of resolving cynophobia after an adult or child becomes the victim of a dog attack.
Q & A Confirms a Successful Evening
The presentation concluded with a 15-minute Q & A period. The audience appeared highly engaged during the presentation and especially during the post-lecture question period. Dr. Jones commented that Mark received many more questions than during the typical medical lecture, which in her opinion confirmed a high-level of audience interest.
Contact CPT
Mark hopes everybody in attendance was entertained and informed. If anybody in attendance or reading this post wishes to learn more about the benefits of CPT-trained service and medical therapy dogs, please contact CPT by email (info@cpt-training.com) or by phone (404-236-2150).