Vita Assistenzhunde e.V. is a non-profit association which trains service dogs to enhance lives of children and young adults with physical disabilities.

VITA was founded in 2000 by Tatjana Kreidler who, together with a dedicated and steadily growing team of volunteers, forms the backbone of the association. VITA emphasizes training service dogs for children and young adults with physical disabilities. Helping the clients to get integrated into society is among the highest priorities for VITA. To that end, the dogs and their partners are introduced to the sport of Dummy Training, a hobby they can share with ambulatory people. VITA has met the criteria for, and is a full member of “Assistance Dogs of Europe” (ADEu).

The Assistance Dog

The dogs help people with physical challenges, who, due to their limited mobility, have difficulty with things we often take for granted. As a result, they become less dependent on others for help. The dogs can bring needed objects on command, open and close doors, turn on and off light switches, activate alarms, and get help and assistance when needed.

An Assistance dog can play a major role in the development of a physically challenged child or young adult. They offer comfort, emotional security and confidence. They are a partner and playmate all in one. They accept people just the way they are, rich or poor, young or old, happy or sad. Having an assistance dog makes it easier for their physically challenged partner to interact with others by giving the person in the wheelchair security, and helps others to overcome their hesitancy in interacting with differently abled individuals. The impact of these partnerships can never be underestimated. The positive influence of this program and these dogs is felt not only by the clients, but by their family, friends and co-workers as well. The practical nature of the help the client gets from their dog, as well as the social and emotional components of the dog-human relationship, results in a simultaneous reduction of medical and therapy costs, and an increase in quality of life. A dog can help those who, because of negative experiences, avoid contact with others. Just by his presence, the dog functions as an ice beaker enabling his partner to slowly gain confidence. At first, communication with other people happens via the dog, and gradually, the person initiates contact on their own. This form of therapy is common among all assistance dog programs, especially for children and the elderly.

Our dogs are selected with the utmost of care and receive specialized training. We work with Labrador and Golden Retrievers, whose gentle and friendly dispositions and marked “will to please” make them ideal assistance dogs.

VITA e.V. Verein für Assistenzhunde

Advice Center Raunheim
Simone Beckert
Gottfried-Keller-Straße 7
65479 Raunheim
Tel.: 06142 / 161 7x1 79
Fax: 06142 / 161 8x0 90
Email: info(at)vita-assistenzhunde.de
Web: www.vita-assistenzhunde.de

Spendenkonto

Deutsche Bank, BLZ: 500 700 24, Kto.Nr.: 30 109 15