.: CANIDAPRESA .. mastini molossi molossoidi .. MAGAZINE :.

11/09/2011
A new friend at school: results and considerations

As previously mentioned in the March issue of Canidapresa Magazine, many kids were initially afraid, while others were more curious: they would pull the animal�s tail and ears, or they would hug and kiss the dog. In any case, we noticed that, in the end, every kid interacting with the dog would feel the same: happy, joyful, relaxed, lighthearted, but, above all, there were great laughs for everyone.

A new friend at school: results and considerations

We have previously mentioned this great project of introducing dogs in schools with the objective of promoting a new kind of healthy relationship between dogs and children.
In this issue we want to show you the great results achieved with these two overly discussed breeds, the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier...

It is 9.30 of a Monday morning in late May. In the gym a little boy called Davide (4 and a half years old) throws a balloon in the air, and Olivia (a one year old Amstaff) jumps and catches the balloon mid air, holding it gently in its teeth, and then brings it back to the boy. Maybe you've already seen this sort of scene, along with many others in the park, but never in a kindergarten. This is the preschool “Aquilone” (which means “kite” in Italian), where, for the past year, we have been working on the pet therapy project “A different friend at school.” Every Monday we would bring a different dog to school, along with its handler, with the intention of letting able and disabled kids get to know the dog, hence teaching them how to relate and interact properly with the animal.
As previously mentioned in the March issue of Canidapresa Magazine, many kids were initially afraid, while others were more curious: they would pull the animal’s tail and ears, or they would hug and kiss the dog. In any case, we noticed that, in the end, every kid interacting with the dog would feel the same: happy, joyful, relaxed, lighthearted, but, above all, there were great laughs for everyone. But the shyest kids too, amongst which those affected by autism, to whom novelty can be very frightening and can make them isolate themselves completely from the surrounding environment, were also experiencing a sort of “fatal attraction” that would relentlessly push them towards the dog despite their disability.

... continue reading the magazine



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