Pet therapy

The elderly in nursing homes, cancer and Alzheimer patients, children and young people with disabilities. When they see the dogs of the association “Aslan – The bond with the animals” arrive, everyone suddenly smiles. And they let themselves be carried away by the enthusiasm of Noah, Patch, Tsar, Holly and Rhum, extraordinary dogs that together with the companions, veterinarians and educators, are the leaders of our pet therapy. A project coordinated by the pedagogist Antonia Tarantini, which Specchio dei tempi started in 2015 in the hospices and today includes various initiatives all financed by the foundation.

The recipe is always the same: pampering, complicity and professionals who guide dogs in their work. We are present in nursing homes in Turin, in the north of Italy, where we have brought relief to over a thousand elderly people. We are present in the Alzheimer Cafés of the city, where we involve the sick and their families who seek moments of serenity in these help centres. We are at the Istituto di Candiolo, an international reference for cancer research and treatment: here we carry out support activities for patients undergoing chemotherapy, an operation conducted with scientific rigor, in line with the precise indications of the Ministry of Health. Above all we are in 15 schools (from kindergarten to high school), to offer students with special needs an hour of games and affection every week. The meetings are individual and for each pupil Aslan defines a training course together with the teachers and the parents.

Our “Pet School” didn’t stop even during the Coronavirus Emergency, because we know that the support of the dogs for these families is essential. We therefore found new premises, to overcome the impasse of closed schools and continue to give hope.