The Istituto Farlottine social cooperative was established “to pursue the general interests of the community, human development, and social inclusion, and aims to fulfill these purposes for members and third parties by managing educational, training, school, and care services and related or complementary activities, with particular attention to socially vulnerable individuals and families.” (Articles of Association, Article 2, paragraph 1)

Istituto Farlottine provides a varied educational environment, welcoming children of all ages, the youngest aged one, and accommodating several levels of education. Specifically, its preschool, primary school, and lower secondary school, all state-recognized private schools, together constitute Scuola San Domenico. This broad educational provision is distinguished by its special attention to children and families facing difficulties, following in the footsteps of Assunta Viscardi, an outstanding woman from Bologna who devoted her entire life to marginalized children.

Melting Pet

Melting Pet, the association that will work directly with the child on this project, is a cultural and amateur sports association established in Bologna in 2012 to promote the principles of human-animal interaction studies and deliver animal-assisted activities in sport, teaching, education, and personal support.

It brings together professionals and handler-animal teams with extensive experience and appropriate training in their respective areas of practice:

• Animal-Assisted Care
• Animal-Assisted Education
• Human-Animal Interaction in Urban Environments

Multidisciplinary Team

Gaja Morri

Graduate in Clinical and Community Psychology; animal-assisted care and pet therapy practitioner and coordinator; member of a certified handler-animal team; animal-assisted education coordinator; dog educator.

Laura Rizzoli

Educator; animal-assisted care and pet therapy practitioner and coordinator; member of a certified handler-animal team; animal-assisted education coordinator; dog educator.

Valentina Nicotra

Dog instructor and educator; animal-assisted care and pet therapy practitioner and coordinator; member of a certified handler-animal team; animal-assisted education coordinator.

Odette Abramovich

Animal-assisted care and pet therapy practitioner and coordinator; member of a certified handler-animal team; animal-assisted education coordinator; dog instructor and educator.

Antonella Zimari

Educational specialist; animal-assisted care and pet therapy practitioner and coordinator; member of a certified handler-animal team; animal-assisted education coordinator; dog educator.

Project Title

Pet Therapy.

Project Beneficiary

The project is intended for a six-year-old boy in first grade who has certification for school inclusion with ICD-10 codes F84.0 and F70.1.

Project Description

Pet therapy is a complementary intervention that supports an existing therapeutic process, contributing to personal well-being through interaction with an animal. Animal-assisted care projects consist of specific relationship-based activities directly involving the participant and the animal. The focus is therefore on the relationship: encountering another being can open a new path toward change, especially for people living in difficult circumstances.

However, this relationship must be beneficial to the participant. Animal-assisted care activities therefore prescribe specific Dimensions of Interaction. These are based on objectives defined by the relevant professionals—psychologists, neuropsychiatrists, speech therapists, educators, and learning support teachers—together with appropriately trained practitioners.

These dimensions identify the emotional, motivational, and cognitive focus of the practical activities in each pet therapy session. The activities encourage interaction between the participant and the animal at a particular relational level that benefits the person.

The child’s support team, together with his family and specialists, considered this one of the best approaches for continuing the work begun in previous years through hippotherapy at Ge.se. That work addressed his initial fear of outdoor spaces and animals. In addition to improving his relationship with animals, it enabled him to build new relationships in unfamiliar environments and acquire experiences, knowledge, and skills that he could draw on elsewhere in life, particularly in his still very difficult relationships with peers.

Although the child made excellent progress in overcoming his initial fear of open spaces and animals and in relating to people at the center, he was unable to benefit fully from this therapy because he still found it difficult to approach the horse. The specialist team therefore felt that a pet therapy project might be more suitable. The association delivering the project was recommended by the child’s psychologist and the staff at Ge.se.

Project Objectives and Aims

Through interaction with the animal, the project aims to:

• Support the child’s development by helping him experience perspective-taking and empathy;
• Acquire new skills and enrich his experiences and imagination.

Project Timing, Delivery, and Location

The project will take place at our institute and comprise six meetings. The first will prepare the child to interact with the dog through introductory activities; the following five sessions will involve the handler-animal team.

Expected Results and Benefits

The project will allow the child to explore this new experience, drawing on skills and emotions that will subsequently facilitate relationships with other people, especially his peers.

Project Costs

Planning: €300

Monitoring: €45

Materials: €60

6 animal-assisted care sessions: €450

TOTAL for a cycle of 6 animal-assisted care sessions: €855

A report will be provided at the end of the project.