Activităţile asistate de animale (AAA): rolul câinilor antrenaţi şi efectele activităţilor asistate de animale în practica asistenţei sociale [Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA): The Role of Trained Dogs and the Effects of Animal-Assisted Activities in Social Work Practice]

The present paper aims to treat a topic relevant to the field of study of animal-assisted activities (AAA) in the practice of social assistance. The paper will address the advantages of animal-assisted activities and their contribution to solving or improving problematic aspects of people's lives, especially those diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. To begin with, the interaction and relationship between man and dog and their positive effects on solving problematic aspects will be discussed. The focus will be on the two case studies where the changes produced by dog-assisted activities in a psychiatric hospital will be presented. To record the results, the testimonies of one of the beneficiaries participating in the study and those of the social worker and the clinical psychologist were used, the two of them participating in the organized meetings.


Keywords: Animal-assisted activity, human-animal interaction, schizophrenia, social work, therapy dogs, benefits