The "Give us a Chance" service center for supporting families of children and people with developmental disabilities in Sarajevo was the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina to start holding workshops in which dogs and cats play an important role in therapy aimed at improving the physical, social and emotional abilities of its users. Therapy with the help of animals is widely used in Western countries, as an auxiliary form of therapy for people with mental and physical disabilities.

The simplest form of therapy is one in which a dog or cat visits the patient, contact is initiated, and the patient determines the direction of further interaction.

Guided by methodology proven in the world, during six months of 2017, Pawsitive volunteers visited the Service Center and socialized with children and adults with disabilities, whose parents gave consent for this type of interaction with animals.

- The service center "Give us a chance" is the first of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina that provides free support to families of children and adults with developmental disabilities in Sarajevo Canton, regardless of age, type and degree of disability. The service center organizes activities according to the needs of users. For the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Pawsitive initiative, we are implementing therapy workshops for children and people with developmental disabilities. Workshops are held in a separate room or outdoors for users whose parents have expressed a desire for this type of activity. Workshop participants are delighted to spend time with dogs and cats. In this way, they get to know the animals, overcome their initial fear, establish direct contact, which is the basis for reacting to the environment - said Ines Kavalec, director of the "Give us a chance" service center.

The positive effect of animals on human psyche and health has been known since ancient times. The earliest inclusion of animals in a therapeutic program was in Belgium in the Middle Ages. Then in Germany, animals participated in the therapeutic activities of the homeless. Later, Boris Levinson and Konrad Lorenz (Nobel Prize winner in the field of physiology) emphasized the importance of animals in therapy, as a way of connecting people with nature.

The Pawsitive initiative was launched by Belma Mujezinović, manager of the Bela Vida company, which, since the beginning of its work in 2011, has participated in numerous socially responsible projects related to neglected categories of society and abandoned animals.

- The idea of starting the project has existed for a long time, and only recently the preconditions for its realization have been created. We started very cautiously, using dogs that have been evaluated and trained, and cats that easily make contact with strangers, don't scratch and all they want is to snuggle up to someone and get a dose of petting. What is interesting is that all the animals we currently use in the workshops were rescued from the streets, and that most of them are looking for a home. Of course, they are all vaccinated, healthy and trained for this kind of therapy - said Belma Mujezinović, manager of the Bela Vida company at the time and one of the volunteers of the Pawsitive program.

The project brought together volunteers who wanted to help the community in this way. However, due to the death of Garo, one of the two therapy dogs, the project was temporarily paused. The restart is planned after the registration of the "Second" Foundation and the establishment of a center for animal-assisted therapy.