The nomination "Responsible for those...": The Emotional Support Dog project was recognized as the best educational project in the field of animal welfare.
For the first time, an unusual project was launched at Krasnoyarsk Airport in 2021. In the sterile area on the third floor of the airport, passengers could chat with friendly dogs, pet them, give them treats and take memorable photos.
"Such interaction helped to reduce passengers' anxiety before the flight, especially among children, and made waiting for the flight more pleasant and memorable," the organizers of the project believe.
"Emotional support Dog" is a joint project of the shelter "Povodog. Krasnoyarsk" and the international airport of Krasnoyarsk named after Dmitry Hvorostovsky. The point is that dog handlers bring the simplest dogs from the shelter to the departure area, where the most important thing begins – the relaxed communication of passengers and four-legged antidepressants.
"During these trips, we saw thousands of smiles, heard many words of gratitude and admiration. Passengers admitted that communicating with dogs brightens up the wait for the flight, and some even thought about taking a dog from a shelter or coming to us with their family as volunteers," said Yulia Izmashkina, head of the Krasnoyarsk branch of the ANO Animal Protection Center.
The goal of the project was to create a positive image of dogs from shelters, so that as many people as possible would decide to adopt dogs from shelters or from the streets. And, according to the shelter "Povodog", the result was not long in coming. Since 2021, 43 dogs have participated in the project.
"For us, this project has become not just a social initiative, but part of the cultural environment of the airport. It's priceless to see how children and adults smile, and how animals find their future owners," said Dmitry Tronin, Head of Corporate Communications at Krasnoyarsk Hvorostovsky International Airport.
"We felt great support from everyone who learned about the project and are grateful to everyone who shared moments of communication with emotional support dogs with us. Some passengers even specifically learned about this project in order to take a flight for that day! We gave the children a small game "Bring home a dog from the shelter", where with the help of stickers and questions the child got acquainted with the topic – how to raise a dog," continues Yulia Izmashkina.
The Emotional Support Dog project at Krasnoyarsk Airport is planned to continue next year. According to the organizers, they themselves did not expect such an effect. Representatives of the shelter, along with their pets, began to be invited to a huge number of citywide events. Over the entire history of the project, more than 60 trips to the airport have taken place, and most importantly, 37 tailed once have since become domestic dogs.
Photos – The Emotional Support Dog project.