In 2021 Street Nurses started a project with therapy dogs. Gaëlle, nurse, and her dog Walt visited people rehoused by Street Nurses. Since then, they proved useful, and now we have four dogs as “colleagues”.
Walt is becoming a professional in My Way
Since his very first informal steps in Brussels, Walt, a Jack Russel Terrier, has proved his presence to be very useful for people who left street life behind. He facilitates conversation, stimulates people, and reduces their stress.
It therefore was obvious to train Walt and Gaëlle officially, with the help of a behavioural expert, for the use of therapy dogs. This strengthened the relationship of trust between Gaëlle and Walt. Gaëlle: “I learned to manage his good and less good characteristics, first at home, later in the field. For instance, Walt far too often asked people for food, and if he gets the wrong type, he can get sick.” On the other hand, he’s very flexible. If I entrust him to someone I accompany, he will adapt to that person’s rhythm.”
Working with Walt in My Way strengthened the bond with patients: “When I visit some people who already saw Walt a few times, they ask how he is. That happens almost systematically!”
Frida is meeting patients in the streets
After one year’s work with a behavourist, Frida, a young Munster Spaniel, accompanied her master, Sarah, psychologist in the “Street” department, for the first time in the summer of 2022. Since then, she has been meeting homeless patients about once a week.
To ensure smooth encounters, Sarah selects the patients for meetings with Frida(*), i.e. people who don’t mind dogs or love them. “What works well is always to bring along something tasty and ask patients to give it to Frida. She loves that and associates it with something positive. It’s just as positive for the patients because it established genuine contact between the two. And contact is what matters.”
Another advantage is that some people can express their emotions. Sarah: “Frida was present when we discussed housing with Mr. B. A very sensitive subject for him. Frida then started giving him little licks, and every few minutes wanted to play with him. That made him relax and distance himself from his problem. We realised what actually bothered him, and he felt understood.”
Patients in Liege enjoy Pablo's company
In Liege, patients found Pablo, a young Cane Corso, heart-warming. Laura, social worker, took him along: “He visited two patients who had lost their dog. With one, he was very playful. With the other, the contact was very touching. This patient still remembered his name at our next visit – despite his memory loss.”
According to Laura, homeless people benefit a lot from therapy animals; they offer a resting point among their numerous problems. “Most importantly, one must trust the animal and relax. A dog remains a dog and you cannot expect him to act like a robot.”
Pablo was active in the field a few times in 2022. There are no plans yet for 2023 but Laura hopes they will still materialise.
Youki soon to be operational in My Way
Youki is the latest dog recruited by Street Nurses. Fiona, who manages housing, has a small Prague Ratter, which gets used to cohabitation with Frida and Walt in our offices in Brussels.
She is still too young for contacting our patients. We hope she can hit the road from March 2023.
In the meantime, Youki plays an equally important role. Fiona: “Youki turns out to be very affectionate. Being small, she can spend a lot of time on the knees of interested colleagues. In doing so, she offers a lot of emotional support in the office.”
-
(*) We never let patients and animals meet unprepared. We ask peoples’ consent and first make sure they are not afraid of dogs and allergic to animals.