Rita’s days are numbered. Suffering from a terminal disease, she feels as if she is progressively wasting away with each passing day.

When people such as Rita tell you that their sole reason for waking up is the dog, it’s a very endearing thing to witness

Yet there is a beacon of light which gives her reason to hold on to the thread of life: caring for Max, the resident dog used in animal-assisted therapy at St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly.

Guide dogs, which are trained to help the blind, are already part of the national consciousness. But now, dogs, cats, rabbits and even birds are being roped in to provide psychiatric assistance to humans suffering from depression.

“Witnessing the patients’ experience is incredible,” St Vincent de Paul superintendent Ronald Fiorentino told Times of Malta.

“One sees patients, who previously harboured a fear of dogs, loving them and bonding with them. When people such as Rita tell you that their sole reason for waking up is the dog, it’s a very endearing thing to witness.”

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is delivered by a health service professional with specialised expertise. Dogs are the animals most commonly used due to the dynamic and strong human-animal bond which they can help forge. However, they need to be trained and to pass an interaction assessment prior to being certified as appropriate pet therapy contributors.

Nurse Carolyn Cini explained that Max, the resident dog, is taken on daily visits around the wards.

“We have a patient who is unable to communicate but whose face lights up each time the dog is near her. It’s a beautiful thing to watch the way a dog can touch them and brighten up their lives.”

She also recalled an occasion when, during one of her nightshifts, she heard a patient suffering from dementia sobbing quietly in the middle of the night.

“I brought Max over to her and she instantly stopped crying. She then slept more soundly than if she had taken any medication.”

Meanwhile, the patients enthusiastically professed their love for Max.

“I love him so much. He instantly cheers me up,” Nazzarena Grech, 82, told Times of Malta.

“I love speaking to him – he understands everything, you know. He’s like family to us. God forbid were he to ever leave us.”

Josephine Caruana, 80, echoed Ms Grech.

“He’s such a darling. I can’t feed him because my condition does not enable me to but he’s always so happy to see me and so am I. We all love him.”

AAT is considered a more innovative form of therapeutic intervention, as opposed to the more traditional therapies such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy. It was officially introduced in Malta as a service within St Vincent de Paul recently.

Inspire Foundation offers animal-assisted activities and therapeutic horseback riding. Senior manager Paula Doumanov pointed out how such interactions with animals help improve motor skills when feeding an animal or when manipulating buckles or clasps on leashes. They also help improve memory, when a client is asked questions about the animal’s care.

On a mental level, studies have shown how stress and anxiety are lowered in the presence of companion animals. AAT also helps reduce loneliness, blood pressure and heart rate.

“AAT has a multitude of benefits. It should definitely be incorporated more widely in Malta, especially in elderly and children’s residences,” Dr Fiorentino said.

And watching the patients happily interacting with Max, it seems clear that pooch power is not something to be sniffed at.