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The faces of the residents change when they see the little dogs arrive. For a few hours, people living in a home in El Palo in Malaga city forget about the routines of the centre where they live and, more importantly, the feeling of loneliness that many of them feel. In exchange, the visit allows them to share treats, laughter and games with a number of abandoned animals which are themselves also residents at a centre: the Sociedad Protectora de Animales de Málaga animal shelter, and a group of volunteers who accompany them.
Blanca Fernández is 30 years old and is a volunteer at the shelter. In the mornings she is a music teacher at a school in Estepona, and in the afternoons she helps to spread the word about the work of the NGO, with talks and visits to schools and companies. The initiative with the home in El Palo is the result of this work, with the collaboration of the Harena Foundation, whose mission is to combat social isolation.
This is how the first opportunity arose in December to take a group of dogs of different sizes and breeds to the Élite residential centre in Miraflores de El Palo. The dogs are carefully chosen for their calm character and good behaviour with strangers.
"Many older people live alone, without family or with little contact with them," says Blanca, explaining that the project is intended to be replicated in other homes whose managers and residents are interested in participating.
On that first occasion, two sessions were held: one for older people or those suffering from dementia; and another for the more active ones, with a specifically designed treatment in each case.
The arrival of the dogs was a revolution at the home: "The [residents] spent the afternoon playing with them, laughing at their funny faces, stroking them and giving them treats....it was a different kind of day," says Blanca. In addition, for some of them it was an exercise in memory, as the residents were able to share their experiences and the stories of the pets they have had throughout their lives.
The star of the day was Flaco: "He's a 50-kilo mastiff but he's very good and all the ladies fell in love with him. They just wanted to stroke him, take pictures with him and give him treats," smiles Blanca. Meanwhile, on another side of the room, the smaller dogs tried to climb into the lap of their hosts, barking and begging for cuddles. The most touching moment was a lady who burst into a flamenco song to thank them for this gift. It was, above all, a day of laughter, but also of tears, remembering past times, lost family and friends. "They have already asked us to come another day," Blanca says.
One of the volunteers from the Harena foundation, a group of young people who visit the residents of the centre almost every week, who also took part in this special day, said, "The older children enjoyed it very much, they were happy. It was a different day, very happy because the animals transmit good energy."
It was also a positive experience for the animals, insofar as the experience allowed them to "spend a different day, receive affection from other people and get out of the kennel and the continuous stress of the barking in the shelter". The group was made up of seven dogs, including Niebla, Flaco, Sopa, Alegría and Ricardo: podencos, bodegueros, mastiffs and mongrels that proved to be very calm, affectionate and unafraid of strangers.
Moreover, all of them were available for adoption, and in fact several have since been adopted: Alegria and Niebla have already found a new home, and Ricardo is reserved with a family in Germany.
The group of volunteers led by Blanca Fernández already have new plans. In fact, this week they are visiting another home in Benalmádena. But also in companies, schools and at the university. In addition, they are open to requests from interested groups to make visits and help to continue raising awareness against the problem of abandoned animals.
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