Maria Daniela Balduzzi is a specialist in Psychological Counseling. She has a passion for animals. She has been working with dogs for 14 years, helping people with disabilities or difficulties. In 2014, Daniela founded the IAA TEAM (Animal Assisted Interventions Therapy, Education, Activities and Mentoring). When she was young, she trained horses from the age of 6 until she had a back problem that made her unable to work with horses. Mary worked with many breeds of dogs, but nowadays she works with a breed of dogs that changed her life, the Labradoodle. María Daniela Balduzzi got into the world of interventions in a curious way. She thought she worked on that because of the reason of her love for animals, but it was actually because she loved families and people with disabilities very much.
IAA TEAM
Maria created the organization called IAA TEAM in 2014. They work with people with and without disabilities, and there are a group of professionals from different areas, occupational therapist, psychologist, counselors, psychopedagogues. They train dogs to facilitate sessions.
"When the doctors told me, I couldn't ride horses anymore, I was forty years old and I thought I was leaving the world"
María trained the horses from the age of six, and it was a great obstacle for her not
being able to do it anymore. She felt better every time there was an animal nearby, and to get ahead she searched for a dog to accompany her for a long time. And so, 14 years ago, she decided to buy herself a Swiss White Shepherd. This dog was trained for blind people or those who need assistance. Thus, Daniela got into the world of animal-assisted interventions. "I trained and traveled abroad to help people", Daniela said.
"The Labradoodles are magical"
Labradoodles were created 40 years ago in a genetics centre in Australia. They were created for a blind lady who needed the help of a dog, to assist her. This type of dog is a mix between Labrador and Poodle. Labradors are trained for assistance, to help people who are blind, deaf, autistics, to recover people with post-traumatic stress, and are dogs designed to help fishermen climb nets with fish on the boat, and then bring you the ball. “Each dog responds to genetics with which was thought out", Daniela said. Balduzzi found this breed so special on the internet. She was looking for a breed that always looks like a puppy.
She found this breed 8 years ago, and it changed her life completely. She finds in that breed something she never found in others: "They are dogs that have almost no smell by the PH of the skin, their hair does not fall out. They are very friendly with each other, and have a childlike personality. They are always wanting to have fun, they are very funny. They are very close to the human and look us in the eye", our interviewee explained.
"This breed is magical because they are dogs that like to share time with people. They know how to recognize the emotions of their owners; if they are happy, sad and according their energy", Balduzzi told us. When the owner needs a dog to accompany them, the labradoodles stay no matter what happens.
"Any family can adopt a Labradoodle, but this is not a dog to leave in the garden without paying attention to them; they are dogs to share life with them," Maria said.
HOW SHE CHOOSES THE PERFECT FAMILY
The families are called 8 months before the puppies are born to a talk. In these talks she asks the family how they imagine life with the dog and which would be the ideal dog. Then Mary writes them down on a book. Once the puppies are born, she invites families 4 days later to explain the origin of the dog, childbirth, lactation, the senses of the puppy and neurological stimulation. In the following meetings, they talk about the growth process, the nonverbal language of dogs, which is needed in the house to have a dog. These talks take place with all family members for 70 days. The dogs have their own temperament. Then Balduzzi chooses the family suitable for the temperament of that puppy.
Main characteristics to work with disabled people
Maria said that dogs that work in animal-assisted interventions live in the owner's house. Those dogs go to institutions, so they need to have a very calm temperament, and be highly trained. They also need to know how to do tricks to make sessions funnier and more motivating for those people.
WORKSHOP IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES The workshop lasts 30 minutes where they do different activities with the dogs. First, they read a book where Petiti (one of Maria’s puppies who is the protagonist of a book) tells what makes her happy, and then, they divide in groups between 4 and 7 children, each with a dog and a guide (the one who handles the dog). They do the activities they have in the book about what a dog needs. Then they make a toy and teach them how to play with the dogs. Next, they give them a sign that says "dogs scouts”. It’s a program where kids can share moments with dogs and can learn
what makes a dog happy.
NEW PROJECTS
Next year they will be creating a therapeutic educational center (CET) and a rehabilitation center. Cet is for children who learn in a different way; because it’s difficult for them to learn things and they go to these kind of schools to learn. This type of institution has farms, dogs and professionals for kids to learn.
PLACES WHERE MARIA WORKS
She works with adolescents in the Psychiatric Emergencies area at the Alvear Hospital and malnourished children of Conin. Also, Maria works with adults with severe mental retardation, people recovering from addictions, children with autism, children and adults who are afraid of dogs.
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