Dogs are now also helping in the treatment of disabled children

When Nico bores his fingers into Momo’s fur, the mongrel dog shows no reaction. Even if the handicapped boy’s hands clench in the animal’s fur, it remains calm. Momo learned this in his two-year training as a therapy dog. Now he supports his owner Daniela Hahn in her work with mentally and physically disabled people.

It is better known "animal-assisted therapy" with dolphins or horses. The 39-year-old trained the dog as a co-therapist because she sees four-legged friends as the most resilient animals. Unlike other trainers, Hahn relies on crossbreeds from animal shelters and rescue stations in Spain and Hungary instead of pure breed dogs, which she brings to Germany with her volunteers and places in foster families.

Some doctors are critical of animal-assisted therapy

Some doctors are often critical of the relatively young method, says the former manager, who ventured a new start three years ago with animal-assisted therapy. Since then she has been working for the non-profit association "Geniushof" in the Wiesbaden suburb of Kostheim, which finances the expensive therapy hours through donations and sponsorships.

On the other hand, what the parents of their little patients report often sounds astonishing: "At first I also thought ‘what a humbug’, but now I see what Nico has learned from it", says the father of the one and a half year old physically disabled boy, who has been able to stand freely with the dogs since the therapy sessions.

The mother of nine-year-old Sabrina is also convinced of the animal therapy given the success of the treatment. Because the Angelman syndrome, a genetic defect, language and development-impaired girls can now walk up stairs alone and has learned to articulate new sounds. "Nevertheless, the families should not have the feeling that it is a therapy session", says Hahn, who also includes the relatives in her treatment.

The effect of the therapy has not been scientifically researched

Exactly how animal-assisted therapy works has not been scientifically proven. Dr. Erwin Breitenbach from the University of Würzburg attributes this primarily to the financial expenditure, since a study with experimental and several control groups costs a lot of money. The psychologist, who works at the Institute for Special Education, is currently working on behalf of the Bavarian Ministry of Social Affairs on a study on the therapy of disabled children with dolphins and with farm animals on a farm. The 51-year-old is hoping for first results by spring of next year.

"The children can simply communicate with the animals more easily than with other people or with the therapists", Special education teacher Claudia Kranz explains the effect. The 44-year-old works in the early support office of the Verein Lebenshilfe e.V. in Wiesbaden with children who suffer from disabilities or developmental errors. Working with the dogs only complements the physiotherapeutic or speech therapy treatment.

Even if her mixed-breed dog Emily has not yet completed training as a therapy dog, the dog is already the star of the little patients: "The speech-impaired children are extremely proud when the dog obeys his word and executes their gesture-like commands", says the pedagogue. Although she does not consider animal-assisted therapy to be universally applicable, she has hygienic and health concerns, because "the success of the therapy always makes up for the risk".

The dogs can do even more than to solve blockages in disabled children. They help Hahn to eliminate phobias, relieve the symptoms of paralysis in stroke patients and bring old lonely people out of isolation, for example through their regular visits to old people’s homes.

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