What are the new species that help to live better?

Juani is happy. With determination and great enthusiasm, he threads different vegetables on a white rope approximately one meter long. The kinesiologist supports his back and assists him. In front, Pepa, a very outgoing little pig, with her guide. Pepa approaches because she knows what is coming: a delicious lunch with pumpkin, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

A few minutes later, Pepa devours each vegetable while Juani laughs. It looks like a game. But not. Juani and Pepa are doing therapeutic work that is exciting.

Juani, four years old, has cerebral palsy that affects his lower limbs. And in this activity, you work on fine motor skills and strengthen your legs when standing. Pepa, for her part, helps him by giving him motivation and incentive. There is feedback between them. There is something that flows and a connection work of many months.

This activity is one of many that happen in Land of encounter, the first comprehensive health and education center that works with children and adolescents (with and without disabilities) and that specializes in animal assisted interventions (IAA).

But it doesn’t look like a clinic or a rehabilitation center. The main house – located in Pilar – is decorated in a very cheerful and colorful way. Already at the entrance, there is Froggy, a 22-year-old frog. There are also a russian molenamed Mandarina, a chinchilla named Pikachu and Paz, a 14-year-old pigeon.

Outside, a huge garden. There are 3,000 square meters outdoors, full of vegetation, a garden and the stable, among other things. There is also a plaza and adapted hammocks. A few meters away, you can see two alpacas (Paca and his son Paquito), a donkey and the horse Falabella. But there are also ducks and chickens. There are about thirty animals in total. And they are specially educated to be part of the treatment.

meeting land It is the only place in Argentina where all activities are done through animal-assisted interventions. And the results are visible. Juani’s case is an example. He came to the upa of his mother, Nadia, three years ago. He didn’t walk and was very afraid of dogs. Little by little, he began to bond with Chester, a shetland collie. And thanks to working with him he started walking.

It was like this, in general terms: They got Chester used to sitting in a stroller and Juani struggled to push it so he could move the dog. And in that way he began to let go and have independence.

Today, he continues doing kinesiology with Chester, where the game is to cross a handrail to roll a dice, see what color and number come up and, accordingly, cross it again and feed Chester.

Juani advances day by day and goes everywhere with his walker. On a cognitive level it is perfect. Osvaldo, his father, says that he is very well in kindergarten, who already reads and is a fan of River and Turismo Carretera.

But how does it come about creating a place with these characteristics? The answer lies with María Daniela Balduzzi and Florencia Torres, the founders and directors of the place. she are counselors and each one has its story of resilience and dog love.

Daniela began imagining this place 18 years ago, when life hit her hard. A horse lover since she was very young, she was 40 when the doctors gave her an ultimatum: she couldn’t ride anymore.

“It was very hard for me. He had a lot of injuries. He rode twelve horses a day and they were very heavy animals. Riding was my passion and the connection with the most beautiful thing in the world. Either I locked myself away to cry or I reinvented myself. And I reinvented myself”reports.

Then, together with her dog, she began to investigate the world of animal-assisted interventions. Then he decided to study counseling. Already well versed in both areas (psychology and animal knowledge), he began to travel the world to see how IAA was done in other countries. Everything came down to therapies with horses or dogs.

“I am about taking what is known to create, but I always get out of the mold. When the pandemic came, already having the physical place in Pilar, I started looking for different animals to create Tierra de Encounter,” says Daniela.

“The dogs were the first to accompany me. I have the Australian Labradoodleanwho have a very special condition for being with people. I brought them 13 years ago from the United States and Australia because their characteristics are very particular: They love being with people and are hypoallergenic, do not shed hair and have a very gentle approach to humans.. Then came Floki, the falabella, and later the donkey and the pig. We have a very strong knowledge of each of the species we have,” explains Daniela. And he adds, there are also workshops: for wanderers, for young people in vocational exploration, for adults over 65 years of age; circus and musical comedy, among others.

Florencia, for her part, grew up in a field in San Andrés de Giles. He always felt a calling to serve. Study counseling. She volunteered with an occupational therapist. I had heard that “animals heal,” but I needed something more verifiable, more scientific.

“We were investigating the issue. First, with Daniela, we had our own center in San Isidro. With my first Golden I began to study dog ​​training and education, that is, the way a dog learns. Because one begins with the desire to help people, but it is essential to know that the animal is also well. What followed was seeing how I could amalgamate these two passions in a professional way,” explains Florencia.

Benjamin, almost three years old, has a global developmental delay. He arrived at the office asleep and had difficulty interacting and bonding with his surroundings. However, with treatment, he made significant progress. Today, it is expressed through gestures and babbling.

Benja showed interest in the alpacas, Paca and Paquito. Paca approached and decided to lie down next to Benja. Then Paquito did it and the boy was able to pet him. He explored the texture of his fur.

“The meeting was crucial for progress in the treatment, because Benja chose a direction, alpacas. And, at the same time, They captured their curiosity and there was positive feedback. From that moment on, alpacas became his favorite animals. And they, at the front door to encourage interaction with the world around them, enhance their development and growth, and awaken their motivation to continue with the therapeutic process,” explains Florencia.

Vitto, for his part, is seven years old and has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In therapy they are working with him on the recognition of emotions. For that they use different animals. For example, Amanda, the hedgehog, is scared, and she works on that feeling. The guinea pig Pigglet, on the other hand, gives him joy and confidence.

Antonia and Joaco have Down syndrome. She connected very well with India, the rabbit, in occupational therapy. The rabbit gets Antonia to “change the focus” and the session becomes a playful space. and emotionally secure that makes it easier to achieve cognitive and motor goals and strengthens the bond between mother and daughter. Joaco, with the help of his psychologist, is discovering the joy of small details thanks to Pigglet, his new friend.

In meeting land They are all protagonists. The doors of the house open for the whole family. And it’s real. You see mothers, fathers, brothers and uncles at the reception or in the park, accompanying them. It works like a great community.

The founders have a premise: To achieve a change in children you have to be close to their parents. They work comprehensively and there is a lot of fun.

Animals, as was clear, play a determining role: They help children feel that they are going to play with them, educate them, take care of them, but in reality they are working on therapeutic objectives with different professionals, such as psychologists, speech therapists and psychopedagogues. There is occupational therapy, kinesiology and early stimulation.

There will always be animals accompanying them. Unless the professional needs to be one on one with the patient in his therapy. And some animals can have a passive or active role.

“Contact with rodents, for example, helps children with hyperactivity to be calmer. The pigeon forces them to have to stay seated in order to interact with it. Or, if I run everywhere, the chinchilla will get very scared and not want to go out. Thus, little by little, they begin to understand how they have to relate to that other person. The rodent is a link and will be able to connect us with the activity we have to do. And what it will generate is this intrinsic motivation,” explains Florencia.

The animal does not judge or care about the child’s physical appearance: “They do not have a developed frontal cortex, which is what humans have, the reasoning cortex. For animals the here and now works. What’s happening to me right now. Pleasure or displeasure. If it is pleasant, I will continue doing it,” Florencia continues.

But how do you ensure that the animal is “happy”? There is supervision of their health, they work with an ethologist and specialists in each species. And behaviorally, there is daily control by the founders and a landlord who lives in the house.

Why do animals work as part of a therapeutic plan? Because they give emotional security, the specialists explain. “When you are with an animal, in some way, it lowers its defenses. Simply let yourself flow in doing something with the other. And they are unconditional. No matter what you look like or what happens to you, they will be there for you. They don’t care about anything at all, they accompany you, and their silences are often better than a lot of words,” says Daniela.

The specialist warns that it is tempting to talk about magic: “We all want to believe in Peter Pan, but we are convinced that magic does not exist. It’s true: it seems magical that animals get closer, that they interact. And in fact it happens. But there is a lot of work behind it.”

“Here we leave nothing to chance. We take care of even the smallest detail. And I am convinced that in this environment that we create, where the concept of biophilia (love for nature) is present, where the concepts of health and well-being are present, where accompanying and listening to others is present and where what sustains everything That is professionalism, love, responsibility, many good things can be obtained. This place is a dream come true“, concludes Daniela, and hugs one of her dogs.