Safest Bet w/ Philip Tedeschi

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An Expert Perspective of Why Dogs Are Our Most Reliable Partners

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About The Episode

Philip Tedeschi entered school thinking he wanted to study veterinary medicine. However, he realized in the process that his actual passion was understanding the human-animal connection. And while there weren’t programs around that discipline at the time, he was inspired by innovators like Jane Goodall and was determined to carve his own path.

This came to fruition in 1996, when Philip taught the first course in animal-assisted social work that explored human-animal interactions to Master of Social Work (MSW) students at the University of Denver with their Graduate School of Social Work program. In 2005, this developed into a bigger program with the Institute for Human-Animal Connection – which Philip co-founded. It was the first of its kind, and still to this day one of the seldom few in the world, to offer specialization in human-animal interactions alongside a graduate-level social science degree (typically, it’s rare for that relationship to be looked at outside of a veterinary framework). It became the program Philip would have wanted himself as a student.

The Institute looks at the general relationship between human-animal interaction, but within that dogs carry a special and crucial spot. Since we’ve evolved with them for so long, our bond is immeasurably strong and brings us different benefits at each stage of our life.

Starting at a young age, children’s health and development can be greatly impacted by the presence of a dog. They can help with developing interpersonal skills (developing social connections), feel more comfortable with certain tasks (such as reading), and help kids who are getting bullied (to change that dynamic). Dogs provide a capacity for trust and nonjudgement, which is a crucial relationship. And since dogs are essentially considered a member of the family, how parents act towards our dogs around kids can have both positive and negative consequences (depending on the treatment) to either demonstrating kindness, empathy, and compassion – or enforcing neglect, cruelty, and other harmful lessons.

Once we get older, we no longer have school for our social support systems and those can become less stable between jobs, relationships, and more. This can quickly lead to isolation and loneliness, which in turn can develop into other issues such as alcoholism, substance abuse, obesity, self-harm, and more. However, dogs can be an essential companion in this case and provide health benefits both physical (being more active and outside frequently) and mentally/socially (with being a tool to connect with others, generally feel less alone, and find inspiration to uplift your spirits). For those going through trauma, such as veterans with PTSD, dogs can also be very helpful in providing responsibility and getting out of your head.

The Institute had also been studying the U.S. implementations of Prison Animal Programs (PAPs), understanding the health benefits of both those incarcerated, as a rehab tool and becoming a better person, and the dogs themselves, in getting socialized and later finding a new home. Philip recently followed up on this by going over to Israel to help install the first program of the country’s kind at the Chermon Prison with Let The Animals Live. It turned out to be a success, with one inmate even saying it helped him communicate better and re-think his parenting capacity, and there is another program hopefully coming there soon.

About The Guest - Philip Tedeschi

Philip Tedeschi is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver. He studies and teaches the intricate relationship between people and dogs, and knows from his own experience how instrumental they can be throughout the different stages of our lives. Philip also has been involved in Let The Animals Live, a program in Israel where prison inmates adopt abandoned dogs, train them, and help them find a home.

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