Today’s realities create a trend in the development of canine therapy. The use of dogs for cooperation
with humans in our country is gradually gaining momentum, and more and more specialists are paying
attention to it in the context of their professional activities. Taking into account the relevance of the
development of centers for the provision of services for the rehabilitation of mental and physical health,
the use of modern effective methods of therapy, the Center for Advanced Training, Retraining,
Improvement of Managers and Specialists together with the Faculty of Biotechnology, namely the
Department of Animal Assisted Therapy and Cynology of Sumy National University, organized the
seminar “Certain aspects of canine therapy”. The seminar was held online and lasted from December 23
to 25, 2024. The purpose of the event was to deepen knowledge of the organizational and regulatory
use of dogs in the rehabilitation and educational process.
Experts from various fields of knowledge related to canisterial work were invited to give educational
lectures and share their experience. Speakers of the seminar: Maryna PROKOPENKO, head of the
INNIKOS Canine Therapy Center in Kyiv and the InNikos Club dog training school, and Daria
REZNYCHENKO, administrator of the INNIKOS Center, shared their professional experience in on working
with both children and the military. It is also worth noting that our speakers are licensed instructors in
working qualities of the Ukrainian Kennel Union.
Antonina GOSHOVSKA (Chernivtsi), the author and project manager for the implementation of EU-
funded cross-border cooperation projects in the field of animal-human interaction, head of the NGO
School of Canine Assistance, familiarized the audience with the legal and practical aspects of canine-
assisted therapy.
A lecture on providing first aid to people in stressful conditions by Hanna ULUNOVA, Doctor of
Psychology (Sumy), Head of the Operational Psychological Support Department of the 77th
Psychological Support Center of the OK North, was very interesting, informative and useful real-life
examples, provided the lecture with a special perception. We can say with certainty that the knowledge
of first aid is as relevant today as the knowledge of tactical medicine.
Special attention during the seminar was paid to the health of our furry partners. The seminar attendees
had the opportunity to learn about the health requirements for a canine therapy dog, assessment of its
physical condition and safe working conditions for it, and first aid for a dog. The speaker of this block
was Kateryna FILCHUHOVA, the chief physician of the Snow Leopard Veterinary Medicine and
Rehabilitation Clinic (Kharkiv). We would like to add that our speaker specializes in sports medicine,
physiotherapy, traumatology, and emergency medicine. Kateryna FILCHUHOVA is a lecturer at the
Optimeal expert school and the founder of the author’s seminar for athletes “Moving Healthily is
Healthy”. The highlight of the class was a demonstration of basic training exercises with the help of
Kateryna’s personal dog.
Traditionally, our seminar was joined by the speaker Oleksandra BEREHOVENKO, who is the author of
training programs on canine therapy, psychophysiology and dog behavior. Oleksandra presented in an
accessible and interesting way the peculiarities of working with people with PTSD in animal-assisted
therapy, including the states of hypercare and hyperresponsibility, as well as the formation of work
tasks and goals in animal-assisted therapy. We remind you that in November 2023 Sumy NAU in
cooperation with Oleksandra BEREHOVENKO, an experienced canine therapist, head of the Harmonic
Dog Center for Social Cynology and the Child and Dog School of Habilitation, Rehabilitation and Canine
Therapy in Lviv, held a two-day seminar “Basic Postulates of canine therapy”.
In total, this year’s seminar “Certain Aspects of Canine Assisted Therapy” brought together about 130 participants: practitioners, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists, military personnel, and teachers from different regions of Ukraine and EU countries. We were pleased to receive positive feedback from various specialists, both to the speakers and to the organizers of the seminar. We hope that the knowledge gained will help in the professional activities of our trainees and will contribute to the responsible organization of the canisterapy process, cohesion in the cooperation of specialists providing psychological and rehabilitation assistance to both children and adults.
