As part of its commitment to a better world, Purina has been collaborating in Europe with associations in which the human-animal bond (through animal-assisted interventions, activities or therapies) has made it possible to identify the physical and mental needs of children and adults, thus generating very positive results.
One of the most recent actions is its collaboration with the Hospital Clínic in research on the benefits behind the therapies with dogs in children and adolescents with mental health disorders.
In it, therapy dogs enter the Day Hospital of the Child and Youth Psychiatry Service to help in the therapy process with children and young people. The objective was to collect data on the impact of this type of dog-assisted therapy on improving:
- self-esteem
- self confidence
- social skills
- regulation of emotional and behavioral manifestations of psychopathology
Also, in collaboration with the Niño Jesús University Children’s Hospital and the Rey Juan Carlos University, PURINA presented the results of a joint study on the impact and benefits of animal-assisted interventions for adolescents with eating disorders. It is worth noting the improvement in the symptoms and mental health of the young women, who saw their levels of anxiety, quality of life and body composition positively impacted.
Dogs trained to accompany and calm minors in the courts
In addition to this, Purina has been organizing the BetterWithpets Prize for years, awards that seek to highlight social entrepreneurs who harness the power of the human bond with pets to transform society. In this sense, the ‘Courthouse Dogs Research’ project, by Dogtor Animalwas a finalist for the 2020 edition of the awards.
It works with trained dogs that accompany the minors during the forensic interviews that are carried out in the different judicial processes in which they are involved, so that they feel safer and calmer. It is a tool that reduces children’s states of anxiety and stress, supporting their mental and emotional health. This is a pioneering service in Spain that is currently being carried out in the Courts of the Community of Madrid.