WHAT DOGS KNOW: Pioneering Family Mediation

Last week I shared with you an article written about canine assisted mediation written by David Paul.  Today, I am sharing a link to a news article where his theory has become his reality. 

​David Paul and his dog, Charlie Paul have started working as a canine and human mediation team for family mediations.  David and Charlie are pioneers. 

In the last few years I have seen the expression of pain experienced by parties in family mediation increase.  I have also seen some parties struggle with their ability to self-regulate during the mediation process.  Sadly, I have seen parties derail the negotiation due to their inability to manage their pain. The negotiation may go away but the reality of separation does not. The derailment leads to a more protracted and even more difficult path.

I am excited to see what David and Charlie discover as they start this important work.  I would love to have my dogs with me in the room providing some furry balance to everyone. As David notes, this needs to be done cautiously and professionally.  Dogs need to be trained and mediators need to be trained. Hopefully in future, I will be able to experience co-mediation with a dog as my co-mediator.

---