Visits to homes

Our visiting dogs love contact with people and are trained, along with their handlers, to form a so-called “social dog team”. We visit people of all ages. The dog’s mere presence and the physical contact of stroking the dogs enriches the daily lives of people living in homes, for example retirement homes or homes for the disabled. The Saint Bernards provide topics of conversation and facilitate social interactions. The health benefits of dogs were scientifically proven a long time ago. The mere presence of our Saint Bernards can lower blood pressure and heart rate and alleviate feelings of loneliness and depression.

Visits to retirement and care homes

We offer a specialised social stimulation programme, for example for people living with dementia. In group situations, our dogs promote interaction, social togetherness, memory stimulation and fine motor skills. We also have Saint Bernards that are specially trained to lie down on the beds of people who are bedridden. Yet another intervention option involves using our Barrys to promote ambulant mobility.

Activities for children

According to our calendar of events, we offer children the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the nature of the St. Bernard in a playful yet informative way. The young participants learn to understand the language of the dogs, to recognise their needs and to assess a variety of situations. The aim is for children to know how to conduct themselves around dogs they know and those they don’t.

The activities are aimed at children from the age of seven, or four if accompanied by an adult and they take place at Barryland in Martigny. See flyer for further information. TICKES & RESERVATIONS

On request, we also offer this activity for groups of six children and upwards.