“Our angel with four legs and a tail,” is what Inga, who lives in Klaipėda, affectionately calls her 2-year-old golden retriever Loki. A woman is raising two teenage daughters with autism spectrum disorders alone.
“What would be normal for an ordinary child is a challenge for someone with autism spectrum disorders – both new shoes and other things. The onset of adolescence added to those challenges even more: one girl’s anxiety disorders worsened, as a result of which she spent almost a year at home, did not want to communicate, only to shut down and disappear,” says Inga.
On the recommendation of a psychologist, the woman started looking for a pet to help both girls overcome emotional challenges. At that time, he learned about assistant dogs being prepared in Lithuania.
“We were very fortunate that Loki, who was being trained to help a depressed person with autism spectrum disorders, was still waiting for a suitable family at the time. We made it to the selection, during which the dog’s trainers, after assessing our situation, decided that Loki would live in our house”, recalls the mother from Klaipėda.
According to Inga, the assistant dog appeared for the family at the most difficult time: due to the prolonged condition of one girl, the woman could not sleep peacefully at night for almost a year, she was emotionally tired and exhausted.
“Loki helped not only my daughters, but also myself. After he arrived at home, things began to change little by little for the better: one daughter no longer needed such strong drugs, the other began to speak more, although until then she was extremely speechless. In addition, Loki not only helps calm the girls, but also protects them intuitively – he pulls them away from the window, the pond, prevents them from escaping. When he feels that he is starting to worry, he immediately brings his toys, directs attention to himself, the girls calm down, are less annoyed in his company”, Inga is happy about the pet who has been at home for almost a year.
Helps to achieve records as well
Guinness record holder Ajana Lolat-Pažarauskienė, who suffers from cerebral palsy, shows the benefits of a dog’s assistant by her example – on the currently ongoing extremely difficult 320 km hike, the woman is accompanied not only by the German shepherd Mulan, but also by other assistant dogs.
A woman walking on crutches from her native Usėnai village in the Šilutė district to Druskininkai aims to draw public attention to the needs of people with disabilities and at the same time collects funds for the training of dog assistants together with the specially established support fund “Mulan Foundation”. As A. Lolat-Pažarauskienė stated at the beginning of the hike, an assistant dog is very important for the lives of people with disabilities or those with serious illnesses, so we need as many of these helpers as possible.
“We admire Ajana’s strength and stubbornness, such a hike would be quite a challenge even for a person without disabilities. We are happy to be a part of this meaningful journey and to contribute to it. The needs of people with disabilities and their integration in society are very important to the entire Bitė Lietuva team,” comments Gintas Butėnas, CEO of Bitė Lietuva.
The head of the digital services company reveals that Ajana, who is aiming for another record, and her accompanying team were given a camper, where the hiker who inspires the whole of Lithuania can take a breather and rest after a day that requires great physical and psychological endurance.
Preparation also costs 25 thousand. euros
According to cynologist Vladas Babičevs, dogs are trained to be assistants for people with disabilities from the age of 2 months. age. Breeds of dogs that tend to be more social are usually chosen for this, such as retrievers and labradors.
“Although theoretically a representative of any breed can become an assistant dog, not every puppy is suitable for it. When choosing puppies, we are interested in their genealogy, parents, behavior and character. The future assistant must be neither too active nor too calm,” says the canine specialist of the Mulan Foundation, which trains assistant dogs.
According to the interviewer, during the first year, assistant dogs are taught obedience commands, behavior at home, as well as socialization between other animals and people. Later, special training begins, during which dogs are prepared to assist people with various disabilities and health problems.
“Assistant dogs are trained for a specific disability, so it is best when we immediately know what kind of person the dog will have to help, or later we look for a family that matches the abilities of a particular dog. “A dog assistant can be trained to recognize panic attacks, stop a person from harmful or dangerous behavior, lift and bring various objects, feel an increase in heart rate or blood sugar, as well as perform other commands necessary for a specific human situation,” says V. Babičevas.
Normally, it can take a couple of years to prepare a dog assistant, and once it gets to a person with a disability, it is visited by a trainer for some time and continues its training in the environment of its new owner. When asked why the training of dog assistants is so expensive, which can cost up to 25 thousand. euros, the cynologist points out that this is the total amount of expenses for more than one year: “It costs not only the puppy that we purchase from the kennel with proper documents, but also its food, training, veterinary services, and travel.”
While marching through the cities and towns of Lithuania, Ajana wants to thank the people who support the “Mulan Foundation”, as well as invite donations for the further continuity of the charity project. The woman aims to collect 100 thousand. euros, which will be used to train new assistant dogs. Donations can be made on the website mulanfondas.lt.
