Pet Therapy at the Cristo Rey Ranch in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin

It's easy to assume that farm and ranch animals may need human care in order to survive and thrive. But working with animals can be beneficial to humans as well - and the Cristo Rey Ranch is a good example of how this works.

The ranch is located in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. It's owned by the Congregation of Sisters Servants of Christ the King, who also operate a nursing home here.

The sisters established the nursing home in the early 1960s to care for local residents. Soon after this they began to "collect" animals - first an orphaned lamb and later llamas, alpacas, and other fiber-producing animals, including sheep, Angora goats, and rabbits. The ranch also houses other animals, like horses, donkeys, chickens, and dogs, cats, and other birds. At any given time there are around 300 animals on the ranch.

The fiber produced by the sheep, llamas and alpacas, and rabbits is a source of monetary income for the ranch. But the ranch has an additional purpose.

As the animals began to accumulate the sisters started bringing residents of the nursing home, Villa Loretto, to the ranch as a form of "pet therapy." The residents could visit with the animals, petting them and talking to them. These visits gave the residents a chance to get away from the nursing home atmosphere and spend time outside for a change. They seemed to boost the residents' spirits.

Later, in the early 1990s, the sisters began to offer care for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems. The young people were given the same opportunities to interact with the animals, but they were also shown how to care for them. This provided a form of respite care for the parents, giving them some relief from the constant burden of dealing with their children's problems. But it turned out to have another benefit.