Dogs & Foster Care Children 

Child development is rich on stable, loving, and secure family relationships. Many children who enter the foster care system have early experiences of neglect, suffering, hurt, and loss. These children have been deprived of secure parenting. A key aspect of fostering is the idea that warm, nurturing relationships with foster families can help to change the developmental course of children who have suffered inadequate care. There have been studies which show how relationships with animals can help children navigate the challenges of settling into new long-term foster homes. Let’s get into the details behind this!

Animal relationships have a way of supporting psychological well-being across a range of social groups, including individuals with disabilities, older people, and psychiatric patients. Dogs may be helpful to children who have lost faith in adult love. You may be wondering about the correlation between animals and adults. One of the most significant ways in which the children relate to family dogs was to rely upon them in times of emotional distress.

Think of “contact comfort”. This is close skin-to-skin contact allowing the animal to help the child alleviate powerful feelings of fear, sadness, and anger. Animals also offer children a bridge through which they could begin to believe in foster parents as trustworthy and loving. Think about it. If they were kind to their pets, they would be kind to their children too.

As you can see, animals such as dogs have a way of bridging the gap to make things possible. It is important to note that animal relationships aren’t a substitute for parental connection. However, they can provide vital, non-threatening emotional comfort which is extremely important.