Wide, round eyes looked up at mine. Gradually, the fear left the eyes and a smile spread across the eight year old face as the small hands reached out to pet Bonnie, our first potbellied pig.

Bonnie is more than a pet, she is a cotherapist in my private counseling practice when her skills are needed. Children who have been abused or neglected have difficulty letting their guard down in traditional counseling settings. But when taken for a walk in a country setting with a potbellied pig, doors open and wall come down. Bonnie is able to accomplishment in one session what would normally take several months. Many times traumatized children have difficulty trusting adults but they seem to bond easily with animals. Bonnie' gentleness and sensitivity plus the tricks she does enchants those children and bring an openness to replace the guarded mask they usually hand onto.

One such child, name John, had lived with chemically dependent parents and was severely neglected and physically abused at times. He was now living with grandparents but his feelings about his mother and father were still locked inside. However, when any contact was made by either parent, he became agitated and often unable to eat or digest food, i.e. symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting occurred. He sometimes cried but would not talk about his feelings or memories. Meeting with Bonnie was a last ditch effort to break through his wall of silence to help free his spirit. His grandmother brought him out to Heart House, the Retreat and Growth Center, where my main office is housed. I live next door with my family and Bonnie, so bringing Bonnie up the path on her leash was a natural step. When John say Bonnie, he stopped in his tracks and his eyes grew wide. From then on, his manner and attitude changed dramatically. He fed Bonnie, petted her, watched while she ate some grass, and began pouring out questions about where Bonnie sleeps, what she likes to do, etc. From a scared withdrawn child to and open smiling one, Bonnie's job was done. Because I was Bonnie's friend, he could trust me. As we sat in the grass petting her, he was able to pour his heart out about how scared he was to see either of his parents because they didn't feed him when he was little and yelled at him a lot.

The experiment turned into a miracle. Since then Bonnie has visited a children's psychiatric unit, and has participated in numerous other psychotherapy sessions as my cotherapist. She is also the star of a series of children's books I am writing with healthy lifestyles messages (or therapeutic undertones)

© Marleen E Weaver 1997