Eva and Sandra are reaching children in India through their Therapy Dog initiative Woofers Snow and Sky.
In this 56th episode of Therapy Dog Talk, I chat with Eva Veroeveren, who co-founded Woofers Snow and Sky. We talk about her amazing work with therapy dogs in Ahmedabad, India. Our conversation focuses on how therapy dogs help kids and teach them to be mindful.
Eva tells me that she and her co-founder Sandra Hasanbasic met at a therapy dog workshop. They decided to start Woofers Snow and Sky to help kids in India. They now have five therapy dogs that they use to help teach people about the benefits of therapy dogs and why physical and social interaction is so important for kids.
During our talk, Eva explains how therapy dogs can help children feel more confident and improve their memory and language skills. She also talks about how they train their dogs to work with different people, like kids and older adults. Eva shares the story of her rescue dog, Sky, and how she knew Sky could be a great therapy dog.
Eva thinks that people should know that they might already have a therapy dog at home who helps them feel better, both physically and mentally. She also talks about how more people got dogs during lockdown and reminds us that dogs are great companions.
We discuss how spending time with dogs can help people relax after a long day at work. Eva says that therapy dogs can also help parents connect with their kids and learn to be more mindful and present in the moment.
After listening to this episode, you’ll have a better understanding of how therapy dogs can help people, the growth potential for Animal-Assisted Interventions, and tips on how to get your own dog ready for this kind of work.
In this episode, we discuss …
- How Eva and Sandra are reaching children in India with their Therapy Dogs.
- What it has been like to pave the way for more Therapy Dogs in Ahmedabad.
- How Woofers Snow and Sky is a catalyst for mindfulness through growing the human-animal bond.
Key moments you won’t want to miss:
- [01:32] Eva tells the story of how she and Sandra met at a therapy dog event and decided to start Woofers Snow and Sky in India.
- [03:36] Eva shares that they have five certified therapy dogs and talks about their different breeds and training levels.
- [04:44] Eva explains why it’s important to teach people in India about therapy dogs and how they help kids with physical and social activities.
- [05:35] Eva tells us about working with schools and teachers to show them how therapy dogs can help students.
- [06:24] Therapy dogs can help kids feel more confident, improve their memory, and get better at using language.
- [08:42] Eva shares a story about her rescue dog, Sky, and how she realized Sky could be a great therapy dog.
- [11:35] Eva talks about how happy and excited dogs get during therapy sessions.
- [15:27] Eva says that spending time with dogs can help people feel less stressed after a long day at work.
- [17:30] Eva thinks that therapy dog sessions can help parents and kids be more mindful and live in the moment.
- [22:07] Eva shares their plans to bring therapy dogs to hospitals in India and how they’re working to make it happen.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do. Give it a watch or a listen and then let me know in the community which part you found the most helpful!
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