Elaborate Therapy For Rescued Dogs

Sometimes love is not enough to help the furry recover from situations of abandonment and abuse. Therefore, shelters and protective associations seek different ways for rescued dogs to integrate with new families that want to adopt them.

Agility as a therapy for rescued dogs

At the Zaragoza Animal Protection Centre, for example, they recommend that dogs practice Agility. It is a sporting activity in which both people and pets participate. In it, the human guide must direct the animal so that it crosses a series of obstacles and runs against the clock.

As the experts explain, this discipline, in addition to guaranteeing dogs a good and necessary dose of exercise, allows them to :

• Gain confidence and lose fears (when they are able to overcome obstacles).
• Improve connection with your owners
• Work obedience in a fun way
• Develop Sync

Dogs that go from fear to competition

Source: Zaragoza Animal Welfare Center Facebook

Those responsible for the Center give as an example the case of a dog called Albatross. Through Agility, the animal overcame the feeling of abandonment and became the “antivenom dog”.

Is that the hairy was trained to protect its counterparts from possible poisoning in public.

The supporters of Agility as a therapy also assure that it was possible to solve cases that were previously considered lost. And they cite examples of animals that used to panic about going out into the street and now happily participate in competitions in this discipline.

Reading as a tool to socialize abused animals

But without a doubt Agility is not the only therapy for dogs to overcome bad experiences. In the “American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals”, in the United States, they use a much more peaceful method: the reading of short stories.

Because, at this institution, large numbers of dogs rescued by the police arrive, all victims of different cases of abuse. On many occasions, pets are so traumatized by their experiences that they cannot tolerate contact with humans.

Then, the volunteers, daily, for a period of about twenty minutes, read to the furry ones. The animals hear through the “sniff holes” that are in the glass of their kennels.

That was the way they found in the association to start a socialization. At first this should happen without physical contact with the animal. Remember the delicate situation that some furry ones go through due to the abuse received.

The advances noted with reading therapy

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

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

This therapy brought good results for Violet, a two-year-old dog who was found on the street, unable to move. The pet had no physical problem. I was simply paralyzed by the fear I felt.

Mistreated dogs that deserve a second chance

Source: Zaragoza Animal Welfare Center Facebook

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 ways to manifest itself. Between them:

• clandestine fights
• Crowding in illegal breeding sites
• Use in circus or similar shows
• Keep them chained, locked or outdoors
• Failure to properly provide food, water, necessary medical attention, etc.

The good thing is that, on the other hand, there are many people looking for a way to help these rescued dogs. And that they think they deserve a second chance.

Image source: Zaragoza Animal Welfare Center Facebook