The URJC Chair of Animals and the Parla City Council launch the project 'Throwing a leg'

This program, focused on young people in situations of vulnerability, as well as animals that have suffered abuse or abandonment, aims to work on the values of responsible coexistence, cohesion, communication and empathy.

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The Chair of Animals and Society of the Rey Juan Carlos University, together with Perruneando and the Parla City Council Department of Animal Welfare, start the project “Throwing a leg”. This program, which was launched on March 30, consists of bidirectional aid social intervention. Its main focus is acting with young people, between 12 and 16 years old, in a situation of social vulnerability, as well as with animals that have suffered situations of abandonment or mistreatment. Together, they will work "the bases towards a responsible and empathetic coexistence towards them".

The project is divided into two intervention phases. On the one hand, the young people will work six one-hour sessions with assisted intervention dogs. They will have the opportunity to deal with different situations, attitudes and characters, with the aim of developing cohesion and communication skills. According to Beatriz Castejada, dog educator and IAA expert at Perruneando Madrid: “In this case, we will use the cognitive-emotional training model, in which the four dimensions of behavior will be taken into account, such as the physical, cognitive, and social areas. and emotional.”

The second phase will consist of putting into practice the previously acquired knowledge. The participants will take on the role of trainers, working with the dogs selected by the Municipal Animal Protection Center (CPAM) in order to increase the chances of adopting these animals.

From the organization, the need to raise awareness about responsible interspecies coexistence is highlighted as the main objective of "Throwing a leg". Likewise, it not only wants to achieve an improvement in animals that have been through situations of abuse, but also put young people in the role of agents of social change and offer them a healthy leisure alternative. "We continue working on different projects to make Parla a benchmark city in Animal Welfare, since it is increasingly necessary to continue developing knowledge and protocols in relation to this issue", remarks the Councilor for Animal Welfare of Parla, José Manuel Del Cerro .