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.