Troubled Teens Resources

Deborah Dillon is convinced her brother Bill’s pug Buddy - named aptly enough - is the reason he is doing so well. Two years ago, he bought Buddy, but a few months after the dog’s arrival, Dillon’s brother, who has AIDS, became extremely ill. Bill decided he could no longer take care of Buddy and tearfully gave him away.

“My brother did not get out of bed for two weeks. He would not answer the phone, and he wasn’t eating. He gave up,” recalls Dillon. Distraught by her son’s reaction, his mother called the new owner and asked for Buddy back. The woman consented. ‘You’d have thought he had gone to Lourdes (France) to get cured by the holy water,’ said Dillon. ‘If he had not gotten the dog back, who knows what would have happened.’ Bill got out of bed and began to gain back his strength. Today, he and Buddy walk two to three miles a day and his health has improved greatly.

“Buddy gives him something to nurture and care for when he’s usually on the receiving end,” muses Dillon. “It gives him a reason to get up in the morning and a way to meet people. It’s important for my brother to take care of himself, to take his medication, and eat properly, and he does now. Because of Buddy, I worry about my brother a lot less.”
(source)

There are hundreds of stories about the transformational affect pets have on people. Older people, disabled people, and also troubled teens.

One of the ravages of drug addiction is an abbreviated emotional range. Troubled teens hide behind a wall of cynicism and distrust. An animal, such as a dog or a horse, can break through. Combined with therapy, a teen can be led back into the full range of their emotions, healed enough to trust again.

Fortunately many accredited teen boarding schools, wilderness and brat camps have added animal therapies to their menu of programs. Tipton Academy for Boys is one such troubled teen boarding school who can recite success story after success story in the administration of their animal assistance program.