Norfolk drug addiction treatment boosted by pets

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by Change | 25 Mar 2010

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Pets are being used to boost the effectiveness drug addiction treatment in Great Yarmouth.

drug addiction treatment in one part of Norfolk has been made more effective thanks to the introduction of a Parson Russell terrier.

It is hoped that the dog will allow patients to open up by breaking the ice, Norwich Evening News reports.

The idea is Sonya Farrell's, a drug addiction counsellor at charity Norcas, who began bringing her pet, Foxy Lady, to drug addiction therapy sessions in Great Yarmouth last year.

Foxy Lady is one of 4,500 dogs registered in the UK with the Pets As Therapy (PAT) charity, and many clients telephone the organisation's offices to make sure the dog will be present during their treatment session.

Charity team leader Richard Bergson said that patients who have difficulty opening up are "seemingly put at ease by Foxy".

"If a client becomes emotional, Foxy will move closer to them and they invariably reach out for her," he commented.

Mr Bergson went on to say that he is considering introducing PAT dogs at the charity's other offices in Norwich, Ipswich, Lowestoft and Cromer.

Approximately 130,000 people a week benefit from PAT treatment, a services that offers patients companionship and comfort.

The charity was established in 1983 and since then some 23,000 dogs have been registered.

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