The Therapy Dogs From Madrid In Action
Even if they don’t hold a university degree, there are dogs that help us improve our physical and mental health. In the autonomous region of Madrid, there is therefore the new “Servicio de Intervención Canina” (which means something like service for canine intervention), which brings therapy dogs to educational institutions, hospitals and old people’s homes.
Therapy dogs for children, the sick and the elderly
During 2017, the first phase of the project was developed, in which the therapy dogs worked with people in old people’s homes.
The then President of the Autonomous Region of Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, even came to one of the old people’s homes (Vista Alegre) to present the program. She also announced on the occasion that the dogs would also visit the homes of Dr. Gonzalo Bueno and Nuestra Señora del Carmen will visit.
The dogs are believed to help alleviate human physical and mental decline. Bimba, Chester, Voll and Sira are four Labs trained for this noble task. You are very welcome to the residents of Vista Alegre.
What other places do the therapy dogs visit?
The service with therapy dogs is also offered in the Queen Sofía Foundation in Spain. There the dogs come into contact with people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s. They also visit other hospitals in the area.
The therapy dogs are also used in some schools. Here they are supposed to work with students who have special educational needs, such as children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
Therapy always takes place outdoors or in places where there is direct access without distraction.
More information about this initiative
It also analyzes the benefits of dog therapy for minors in court.
As we have already reported from your animals, these assistance dogs are made available to young people in order to calm them down and to support them emotionally in their statements.
They are already thinking about expanding the program in a second phase to include more schools, hospitals and old people’s homes. The topic of whether the four-pawed friends can visit their owners in the hospital or retirement home is also discussed.
Here you can take a look at some pictures that illustrate the work of this initiative.
An initiative that considers dogs our best friends
To run this program, the local government is supported by the University of Rey Juan Carlos. This institution has a lot of experience with this type of therapy.
The veterinary college “Colegio de Veterinarios” is also working on the project. She developed a zoonosis prevention health protocol for the dogs participating in this initiative.
Cifuentes emphasized that “dogs are not just companion animals, they are true allies in improving our health, education and social services.” Hopefully we can reciprocate even a small part of their great benefit to us.
Image sources: elpais.com, madrid.org, leganews.es
