How owning a dog may help your child

From our knowledge of working with parents and carers, we have noticed that there is a growing awareness of the benefits disabled adults and children find in owning a dog.

One of the organisations that specialise in this field is Dogs for the Disabled (DFD) who have been training dogs to work alongside disabled people for over 20 years. A properly trained dog can offer more than companionship and many of the families that DFD have worked with have dogs that can provide a great deal of assistance in the home or when outside. The charity is working with a small number of children with cerebral palsy who are enjoying the benefits of their own assistance dogs.

Research with dogs and the Autistic Society

Research conducted with the Autistic Society has shown that dogs can calm and comfort children or help them develop the confidence to try new tasks. An outcome of this research was that DFD set up a project called PAWS, backed by canine behaviourist researchers at Lincoln University. This project allows parents and carers of disabled children to receive advice on choosing a dog and helping support the development of their child.

PAWS works via a series of workshops for parents to learn about dog behaviour and share experiences. One of the first dogs trained by DFD was for a young boy with cerebral palsy called Tom. Tom’s mother was amazed at how Tom became more engaged with his physiotherapy once the exercises were incorporated into playing with the dog.

How can dogs benefit people with cerebral palsy?

Many people believe that having a pet reduces stress, can help a child learn responsibility, improve social skills and reduce feelings of isolation.

Scope is working with DFD to raise awareness of how a trained dog may assist disabled children, especially those with cerebral palsy.

If you would like to share your experiences of owning an assistance dog, please tell your story on the Scope website forum or contact Scope Response.

If you would be interested in learning more about selecting a dog or appropriate training or would like to attend an initial workshop, please contact Dogs for Disabled.