In January 2015, The Comfort Dog Project was officially launched. Dogs rescued and rehabilitated from unfortunate circumstances were paired with war trauma survivors.
Our Comfort Dogs have come to us in many ways. Lok Oroma (featured with her guardian Filda in the recent BBC story was thrown away on a rubbish heap as a puppy and rescued by us. Iroba Nono had lived for years on a short chain after he made the mistake of chasing a chicken. He had never received any friendly contact from humans and had been named "Danger". Apwonya had been abandoned after she developed cancerous TVT (transmissible venereal tumors) which were bloody and frightening to those who saw her.
Bitum came to the dog hospital after being hit by a motorbike and her wounds became severely infected and oozed with maggots. She wasn't expected to live, but she did. Gifty was the only survivor in a litter of puppies who contracted parvo virus.
The dogs have their own issues, as do our war trauma survivors. Each is a unique individual with different preferences, methods of learning, and means of coping with their traumas.
Our program holds regular village group counselling sessions for war trauma survivors. It is a forum for supportive sharing of experiences and provision of tools for coping. It is from these groups of survivors - who are working hard to improve their lives - that dog guardians for The Comfort Dog Project are selected.
For every position we have in the program, there are more than a hundred war trauma survivors who would wish to be selected.
Those who have suitable homes, supportive families, and are willing to treat a dog as a family member, must pass rigorous home checks. If successful, they undergo formal diagnosis of their mental health issues. Participants in our program have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The severity of their symptoms is then assessed and selected participants normally have high scores.
The next step is completion of a Dog Guardianship Class in which dog health, wellness, care, feeding, and the welfare, are all taught.
The decision of which dog to place with which new guardian is a thoughtful process involving a committee of program graduates and BIG FIX staff. The sex, temperament, size, age, history, and even the physical appearance of each dog and guardian is considered in trying to create successful pairings. Read more about The Comfort Dog Project.
Our Comfort Dogs have come to us in many ways. Lok Oroma (featured with her guardian Filda in the recent BBC story was thrown away on a rubbish heap as a puppy and rescued by us. Iroba Nono had lived for years on a short chain after he made the mistake of chasing a chicken. He had never received any friendly contact from humans and had been named "Danger". Apwonya had been abandoned after she developed cancerous TVT (transmissible venereal tumors) which were bloody and frightening to those who saw her.
Bitum came to the dog hospital after being hit by a motorbike and her wounds became severely infected and oozed with maggots. She wasn't expected to live, but she did. Gifty was the only survivor in a litter of puppies who contracted parvo virus.
The dogs have their own issues, as do our war trauma survivors. Each is a unique individual with different preferences, methods of learning, and means of coping with their traumas.
Our program holds regular village group counselling sessions for war trauma survivors. It is a forum for supportive sharing of experiences and provision of tools for coping. It is from these groups of survivors - who are working hard to improve their lives - that dog guardians for The Comfort Dog Project are selected.
For every position we have in the program, there are more than a hundred war trauma survivors who would wish to be selected.
Those who have suitable homes, supportive families, and are willing to treat a dog as a family member, must pass rigorous home checks. If successful, they undergo formal diagnosis of their mental health issues. Participants in our program have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The severity of their symptoms is then assessed and selected participants normally have high scores.
The next step is completion of a Dog Guardianship Class in which dog health, wellness, care, feeding, and the welfare, are all taught.
The decision of which dog to place with which new guardian is a thoughtful process involving a committee of program graduates and BIG FIX staff. The sex, temperament, size, age, history, and even the physical appearance of each dog and guardian is considered in trying to create successful pairings. Read more about The Comfort Dog Project.