In an attempt to pacify stressed-out passengers at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, a number of dogs have been employed to do cuddle rounds on the concourse.
Between saving the drowning and sniffing out bombs, dogs barely get to clock off these days. Now, they have been called in for another important task, to calm down stressed-out passengers at Berlin’s giant BER airport.
First trialled in the US, the airport in Brandenburg is the first in Germany to initiate project paw patrol. In the case of BER, the dogs for the job are therapy animals specially trained in Brandenburg an der Havel.
“With this [program] we have the opportunity to offer passengers a calming interaction with the dogs. They can interact with the dogs for 10 minutes before they leave and then board their flight feeling calm,” BER press officer Jan-Peter Haack told rbb.
For now, the doggies’ work at the airport is in its test phase, but BER hopes that the canines will become freelancers employed on a monthly basis in the near future.
Speaking to the local broadcaster, Therapiehunde-Brandenburg employee Kai Swinne explained that it is important for the organisation to give the dogs a break when they need it. Once the animals have been working at the airport for an hour they are given a break.
“We must pay close attention to stress signals from the dogs and make sure that they feel comfortable at work,” Swinne said. This has been increasingly important after one member of the pack handed in his notice and booked a one-way trip to the beaches of Dalmatia.
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