Therapy Elaborated For Rescued Dogs

Sometimes love is not enough to help the furry recover from situations of abandonment and abuse. For this reason, from shelters and protectors, different ways are sought so that rescued dogs can integrate into new families that want to adopt them.

Agility as therapy for rescued dogs

In the Animal Protection Center of Zaragoza, for example, they recommend that dogs practice Agility. It is a sports activity in which both people and pets participate. In it, a human guide must direct the animal to cross a series of obstacles in a clean way and racing against the clock.

According to the specialists, this discipline, in addition to guaranteeing the dogs a good and necessary dose of exercise, allows them to :

• Gain confidence and lose fears (when they manage to overcome obstacles).

• Improve the connection with their owners
• Work obedience in a fun way.
• Develop synchronization.

Dogs that go from fear to competition

Those responsible for the Center give as an example the case of a dog named Albatross.  Through Agility, the animal went from abandonment to becoming the “can-antivenom”.

It is that the furry one was trained to protect his congeners of possible poisonings in the public highway.

The supporters of Agility as therapy also assure that they have been able to solve cases that were previously considered lost. And they cite examples of animals that were terrified of going outside and now happily participate in competitions of this discipline.

Reading as a tool to resocialize abused aninals

But without a doubt, Agility is not the only therapy for dogs to overcome bad experiences. Across the ocean, at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in the United States, they use a much calmer method: reading stories.

It is that a large number of dogs rescued by the police arrive at this institution in different cases of abuse. On many occasions, animals are so traumatized by their experiences that they cannot tolerate contact with humans.

So the volunteers come every day to read to the furry ones for a period of about twenty minutes. Animals listen through “sniff holes” in the glass of their kennels.

This was the way they found in the association to start a socialization. In principle it should be without physical contact with the animal. Remember  the delicate situation that some hairy go through due to the mistreatment they receive.

Advances seen with reading therapy

Volunteers can freely choose the reading material. The important thing, in this case, is to read with a pleasant voice and calm tone.

Although dogs receive other treatments to overcome their trauma, the benefits of reading are visible in each session. For example, it is observed how the animal, which at first was fearful, then begins to approach, relaxes and even moves its tail.

This therapy worked well for Violet, a two-year-old dog who was found on the street, unable to move. The little animal had no physical problems. She was simply paralyzed by the fear she felt.

Abused dogs that deserve a second chance

But Albatross and Violet are just two examples of the large number of animals that suffer abuse in different parts of the world. And cruelty has many forms of manifesting itself. Between them:

• Clandestine fights.
• Overcrowding in illegal farms.
• Use in circus or similar shows.
• Keep them chained, locked up or out in the open.

• Failing to properly provide food, water, necessary medical attention, etc.

The good news is that, in return, there are many people looking for a way to help these rescued dogs. And that they consider that they deserve a second chance.

Source of the images: Facebook of the Animal Protection Center of Zaragoza