"This project aims to foster active and healthy ageing and, in this instance, to combat isolation," said Carlos Sousa, the Penacova City Council member responsible for Education, Housing, and Social Action, as quoted in a statement sent to the Lusa news agency.

The “Estou CãoTigo” initiative is carried out by the Beira Aguieira Association for Support to the Visually Impaired (based in Mortágua, Viseu district), known for its Guide Dog School for the Blind, in partnership with the Municipality of Penacova, which supports the project.

As part of the project, a specialised technical team, including guide dog trainers and a specialist in Social Gerontology, conducts bi-weekly visits to elderly people living in care facilities and to residents identified as living in isolation in their own homes.

Dogs involved

The dogs involved are Labrador Retrievers; although they underwent initial training, they did not pursue a career as guide dogs for the blind due to behavioural or physical reasons and were instead retrained for therapeutic roles.

Carlos Sousa highlighted the measure's social impact in the area, noting that the municipal investment in these community-based services is strategic.

Our intention is to continue the project and ensure the agreement is renewed after the initial three-year period concludes," he stated.

The project is funded through June 2028 by the Centro 2030/Portugal Social Innovation program.

Intervention model

The intervention model in Penacova encompasses all social services for the elderly in the municipality; of the 110 individuals involved, ten receive support in their own homes through visits coordinated with the local authority's social services.

The interventions rely on positive reinforcement and structured individual assessments based on data from the training program, with the project's dogs serving as direct stimulants for the seniors' motor, cognitive, and emotional functions.

"The project's agreed-upon targets aim for a substantial reduction in the perception of loneliness and improvements in emotional and motor indicators for at least half of the beneficiaries," stated the Municipality of Penacova.

In addition to the local government, the "Estou CãoTigo" project benefits from EU co-financing and social investment from the Municipality of Mortágua and the Caixa de Crédito Agrícola Mútuo da Bairrada Aguieira.