Anglicare Victoria’s therapeutic dog, Zeus has been working extremely hard, as he continues to provide support to young people living in care.
“Zeus continues to work day-to-day as an important family member of our program. All of the children get to spend time with him. He is great at knowing what each kid needs and working out how he can help,” says Residential Unit Co-Ordinator, Adine.
By having an animal in the home with a calming nature, it ensures the young people are not focusing only on themselves, as they’ve become engaged in caring for and providing responsibility for someone else.
Zeus’ presence has been essential for regulating behaviour, as well as helping kids settle into school classes and transition into day-to-day programs, which they had previously struggled with.
“When the children attend school, often everyone knows their stories and know that maybe they have had a rough past. Therefore, they may already have a stigma surrounding them. When they walk in with Zeus, everyone just runs over and wants to meet him,” says Adine.
“Zeus really helps the kids fit in and be accepted. He’s a powerful presence. Now he has a regular time where he goes to school, settles them into school in the morning, and the kids let us know when they’re ready to separate. It’s been really impactful.”
Animal therapy is a significant way to help children overcome trauma. Before the introduction of Zeus to the residential unit in 2016, Adine took on many months of extensive research to see which animal would best suit the kids and their surroundings.
“I knew introducing a dog to the household had to be very considered decision.”
“Now Zeus has built relationships with the kids and enriched their lives – they love him and he loves them,” says Adine.
“It’s really been a magical experience.”
