How Do Dogs Help Hospitalized Children?

Everyone knows that dogs have been used in different ways to make life easier for humans, especially in difficult times. For example, there are rescue dogs, police dogs, assistance dogs, guide dogs and therapist dogs, which are used in some other options, such as helping hospitalized children.

We already know that whatever role they’re playing, they always have the same motivation: the loyalty and love they feel for us. So it’s no wonder that the work they do is always successful. Today we are going to talk about one of these works, a very special one: the help that dogs give to hospitalized children.

The help dogs give hospitalized children

They say that everything with a dog is better and, in My Animals, we couldn’t agree more with that. This is the case of Alicia, an 8-year-old girl who has concentration problems. In fact, she hardly ever manages to concentrate on anything, but when she’s at the hospital doing her therapy sessions and her good friend Rum, a Labrador retriever, enters, Alicia turns into a different girl.

There is an inexplicable connection between children and dogs, it  is a magic that perhaps escapes our adult minds. There are many people who wonder how dogs are able to take care of a baby and not harm them, even if the child pulls its tail, puts its hand in its mouth, or sticks a finger in its eyes.

We don’t know, but what we do are very sure of is the fact that dogs and children spark a spark of love in each other from the first moment they see each other.

This is also what the AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy) committee, which is introducing animal therapy to children, thinks. This therapy is being used in children with autism, selective mutism, intellectual disability and cerebral palsy.

This is not a new idea and neither is it an innovative method. Sigmund Freud, the inventor of psychoanalysis, always went to his appointments with his loyal companion dog. Today animal therapy continues to work.

However, if your child has any of these commitments, you are likely wondering if AAT is for him. So let’s tell you all the benefits of it.

Benefits of TAA with hospitalized children

Image source: www.stuff.co.nz

• Mediator. This is the main role the dog will play between the doctor and your child. The animal will be like a bridge that will facilitate communication between them and will help the child to be more receptive. This type of therapy does not replace traditional medicine, but favors the expression of feelings and emotions on the part of the minor.
• Importance of interaction. Many may think that it is enough to have a dog at home, but this is not true. The good development of the child is not something that comes out of nowhere just by having a dog, it is the result of exhaustive training given to these animals, as well as some exercises that the little one does, without realizing it, and that manages to get results.

• Fits all. No matter what disorder or age the child is, this type of therapy is beneficial for everyone. It is only necessary to take into account the small detail that the child does not have allergies or phobia of dogs. Apart from that, everything is fine, there is no problem.
• Favors children’s motivation. This type of therapy is prepared so that children feel in a relaxed and peaceful environment, giving way to the expression of emotions through games and games to awaken the motivation to go beyond.
• Your child will be happier. Being with an animal is something any child enjoys. That’s why children who undergo this type of therapy tend to be excited to move forward, despite the difficulty and efforts. Still it is a sign of good results.

If you were not yet determined to try this therapy with dogs, think no more, the benefits are many and very great.