When people learn that The BIG FIX Uganda has been using dogs, as part of its Comfort Dog Project, to help people in Northern Uganda regain their peace of mind, there is both interest and surprise.
Mental health resources are almost non-existent in Northern Uganda. There is one referral hospital which has mental health technicians, but the country’s only mental health hospital is 7 hours away, which may as well be a million miles. Further, there is a societal stigma that if someone has a mental problem, they cannot be helped, therefore, people are reluctant to ask for help or even acknowledge that they have been affected.
When people are crippled by trauma, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideology, they can’t be expected to raise their children well, to find work, to grow food, and to become contributing members of society. It’s like cutting off a person’s legs and telling them to run a marathon the next day. Peace of mind is the most important factor in rehabilitation and reintegration for war trauma survivors.
The idea of dogs improving the quality of life for people is nothing new. People who live with dogs and love them as family members will be among the first to testify that dogs make our lives better. There is something about interacting with a dog's unconditional love and pure joy that helps us feel better. The science behind this has been firmly established and described by our beloved advisor, Meg Daley Olmert, in her book Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond. It’s the oxytocin. Petting a dog, playing with a dog, interacting with a dog, causes an increase in oxytocin, a chemical reaction, that makes us feel good - more relaxed, at peace, and calm.
Beautiful programs exist all over the world in which the main component is the healing power of a dog’s love. These include prisoners training and rehabilitating dogs for adoption, pet therapy, children reading to dogs, and combat veterans suffering from PTSD training dogs for disabled service members. Warrior Canine Connection is one such program which has demonstrated that interacting with dogs is highly effective in helping combat veterans to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It was on the basis of all this successful work that the idea for The Comfort Dog Project came about. The BIG FIX Uganda had been working in Northern Uganda since 2012, offering the region’s only veterinary services in an extremely impoverished area which is home to more than 3 million people. To date, The BIG FIX has treated more than 70,000 dogs and cats and now operates the only veterinary hospital in Northern Uganda, open 365 days a year. The organization also has an education and outreach program which has visited more than 140 schools.
Part of The BIG FIX Uganda’s mission is to promote human-animal bonds, so relying on dogs to help heal war trauma survivors was a natural path. Learn more about The Comfort Dog Project.
Mental health resources are almost non-existent in Northern Uganda. There is one referral hospital which has mental health technicians, but the country’s only mental health hospital is 7 hours away, which may as well be a million miles. Further, there is a societal stigma that if someone has a mental problem, they cannot be helped, therefore, people are reluctant to ask for help or even acknowledge that they have been affected.
When people are crippled by trauma, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideology, they can’t be expected to raise their children well, to find work, to grow food, and to become contributing members of society. It’s like cutting off a person’s legs and telling them to run a marathon the next day. Peace of mind is the most important factor in rehabilitation and reintegration for war trauma survivors.
The idea of dogs improving the quality of life for people is nothing new. People who live with dogs and love them as family members will be among the first to testify that dogs make our lives better. There is something about interacting with a dog's unconditional love and pure joy that helps us feel better. The science behind this has been firmly established and described by our beloved advisor, Meg Daley Olmert, in her book Made for Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond. It’s the oxytocin. Petting a dog, playing with a dog, interacting with a dog, causes an increase in oxytocin, a chemical reaction, that makes us feel good - more relaxed, at peace, and calm.
Beautiful programs exist all over the world in which the main component is the healing power of a dog’s love. These include prisoners training and rehabilitating dogs for adoption, pet therapy, children reading to dogs, and combat veterans suffering from PTSD training dogs for disabled service members. Warrior Canine Connection is one such program which has demonstrated that interacting with dogs is highly effective in helping combat veterans to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It was on the basis of all this successful work that the idea for The Comfort Dog Project came about. The BIG FIX Uganda had been working in Northern Uganda since 2012, offering the region’s only veterinary services in an extremely impoverished area which is home to more than 3 million people. To date, The BIG FIX has treated more than 70,000 dogs and cats and now operates the only veterinary hospital in Northern Uganda, open 365 days a year. The organization also has an education and outreach program which has visited more than 140 schools.
Part of The BIG FIX Uganda’s mission is to promote human-animal bonds, so relying on dogs to help heal war trauma survivors was a natural path. Learn more about The Comfort Dog Project.