
Canine-assisted social work
Switzerland’s national dog has a heart of gold. The Saint Bernard loves and needs contact with people and has assisted us for centuries, previously as a rescue dog, today in dog-assisted social work. The Barry Foundation has successfully provided animal-assisted interventions in the social field since 2007. These include the following:
Animal-assisted activities
Visits to homes and schools
Animal-assisted education
Camps and long-term programmes
Animal-assisted therapy
Programmes tailored to specific needs
These interventions are based on the assumption that dogs mobilise our physical, mental, psychological and social resources.
« Scientific studies impressively document the benefits of companion animals to people‘s well-being, personal growth and quality of life ».
(Source: Geneva Declaration of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organisations, www.iahaio.org)
All interventions take place with particular attention to the Saint Bernards’ own needs, species-specific welfare considerations and expert care.
We have some of our ‘Barry Aid’ projects verified in terms of their effectiveness, among other things, which allows us to build our interventions on the latest scientific findings. We also supervise student projects and theses in the area of animal-assisted interventions and offer observation opportunities that provide insights into everyday practice.