BOYARKA, Ukraine — Bice is an American pit bull terrier with a crucial and delicate task in Ukraine: reassuring children frightened by the Russian war.
The obedient eight-year-old gray dog came on schedule this week at a rehabilitation facility on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, prepared to begin his tasks.
A dozen children were seated at a table, listening to psychologist Oksana Sliepora as Bice waited in a hallway of what appeared to be a school classroom with paintings an
d some books.
She asked, “Who owns a dog?” and several hands sprang up simultaneously while the room filled with chants of “Me, me, me!”
One child stated that his dog’s name was Stitch; another responded, “Tank,” adding that he had a total of five dogs, but has forgotten their names. Everyone erupted in laughter.
At first glance, the seven girls and nine boys, whose ages range from two years old to eighteen years old, appear to be schoolchildren enjoying class. But they have unique narratives: Some individuals witnessed Russian troops invading their hometowns and assaulting their family. Some are the sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters of troops who are now on the front lines or who have been killed on them.
A little boy poses with an American Pit Bull Terrier in Boyarka, Ukraine’s Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation.
AP
They congregate at the Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation, a state-run community center where individuals can receive assistance coping with traumatic experiences during the February invasion by Russia. Regular psychological counseling is provided by staff members to everyone affected by the war.
In the past, they’ve worked with horses, but now they’re using canine therapy.
The facility, located in Boyarka, a neighborhood approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Kyiv, was founded in 2000 as part of an initiative to provide psychological help to persons directly or indirectly affected by the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986.
The focus is now on those harmed by the fighting. Currently, when Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have left several districts without electricity, the two-story building is one of the few sites with light and heat.
At the Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation in Boyarka, Ukraine, war-traumatized children have been observed drawing.
AP
Sliepora asked the gathering children, some of whom were wearing blue or red Christmas hats, if they desired to meet someone. The response was “Yes, they did.” The door swung open. Children’s faces shone brightly. They grinned.
And then Bice, the tail-wagging therapist, entered.
Darina Korozei, the dog’s owner and trainer, invited the children to come one by one and request that he perform a few tricks. He sat. The animal stood on its hind legs. He stretched a paw or rolled onto his back. Then, he received a group embrace and some wonderful snacks.
Bice permitted everyone to pet and cuddle him for over 30 minutes without ever barking. It seemed as if nothing else mattered at that moment, as if there were nothing to be concerned about, such as a war ravaging their nation.
This is Sliepora’s first time working with a dog as part of her therapy. She stated, “However, I have read a great deal of research indicating that working with dogs, with four-legged rehabilitators, helps youngsters reduce stress, enhance stress tolerance, and decrease anxiety.”
Children interact with the American Pit Bull Terrier in Boyarka, Ukraine’s Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation.
AP
The children did not appear stressed, yet the harsh reality is still out there.
She found that some youngsters are afraid of loud noises, such as when a window is shut or when they hear a jet. Some fall to the ground and begin to inquire about nearby bomb shelters.
Among the children were a boy and sister from Kupyansk, a city in Kharkiv’s eastern district, who watched Russian forces entering their home with machine guns, seizing their grandfather, placing a sack over his head, and beating him, according to Sliepora.
She stated, “Each child is mentally damaged differently.”
Most of the time, the mothers of some of the children stayed seated along one of the walls, observing and listening from a distance. When Bice arrived, some parents photographed their youngsters.
Maxim, Lesya Kucherenko’s 9-year-old son, was accompanying her. She stated that she cannot stop worrying about the conflict and what might happen to her eldest son, a paratrooper fighting in the town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region – one of the most active fronts at now.
Maxim grinned as he played with Bice, but he constantly checked on his mother and moved his head around to see her.
Kucherenko stated that she occasionally sheds tears when recalling her army son. Immediately before this session, he called her. She began crying upon recalling that he had assured her he was alright. The following instant, Maxim appeared and inquired why.
“You see? She remarked, “He is soothing me, not me him.”
What is the most important message that the soothing dog, Bice, conveys to children?
Owner Korozei responds “Freedom” after only a few seconds of consideration.
“Freedom from problems and joy,” she continues.
»Ukraine’s traumatized children are treated with dog therapy«