Meet the NGO that trains rescued dogs to provide emotional support

Animals With A Mission of AC Integration (ACUMI)is a Mexican organization, which was founded 8 years ago with the aim of generating a virtuous circle among all those who participate with it: rescued dogs that are looking for a home, shelters and rescuers of dogs in street situations and families that They are facing a difficult circumstance and could benefit from adding an emotional support dog to their family.

At ACUMI we partner with shelters or rescuers to seek to give a rescued dog the opportunity to find the love and care that all puppies deserve and seek so much. what we do is select dogs from these shelters, for their temperament, to provide emotional support to people. Once selected, the dogs go through a training period that regularly takes from 3 to 6 months, so that our clinical ethologist (canine behavior expert), with the help of volunteers, can get to know them in depth and train them as emotional support dogs.

Dog training entails a series of stimuli to different noises, people, other dogs and everyday life situations that dogs are going to face, as well as getting used to different forms of affection and types of people or movements and learning to trust human beings again, as some of them may have suffered mistreatment or bad experiences. The idea of ​​our training is that dogs are able to form a close bond of trust and affection with people, so that your experience and that of your future family is ideal at the time of adoption. Thus, both dogs and people can fully enjoy the benefits of being together and supporting each other.

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The relationship between dogs and people has been relevant to both species for thousands of years. and brings strong benefits for health and mood in both cases. At ACUMI we base ourselves on these benefits to unite two populations that are going through difficult circumstances and that, upon meeting, improve their lives radically. On the one hand, the rescued dogs, finding a human family that loves them, take care and the affection that they are looking for; on the other, families who are going through difficult circumstances, where a dog can help support themsupport, affection, containment, self-esteem, mental health, company, stress reduction, among many other benefits.

We have very varied stories where a dog helps a family. From an elderly person, who finds in his dog a company, a reason to leave home every day for a walk and a responsibility that allows him to have schedules and routine, to families that have suffered losses or are grieving, families with any member with a disability where the dog changes the dynamichelps this person to relate to others in an easier way and even provides self-esteem and security.

There is a very beautiful phrase that the mother of an adopter said and that we always remember with great affection: “before, people saw Rafael and saw a child with a disability, today they see Rafa with Misha and see a child with his dog”.

ACUMI’s three programs

ACUMI has three programs that help fulfill the mission of supporting people and families who are going through difficult circumstances in improving their quality of life through adoption and living with emotional support dogs:

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1. ACUMI adoption

Selected and trained dogs join a familyimproving family dynamics and the emotional well-being of each of the members.

2. ACUMI Embrace

Here, people with some kind of vulnerability or disability participate as volunteers in the training and emotional rehabilitation of dogs ACUMI. The periodic relationship with our dogs gives a sense of well-being, security, worth and happiness to the participants; and, for dogs, the relationship with different people is extremely valuable for their rehabilitation and future adoption.

3. ACUMI support

In this case, emotional support dogs offer accompaniment and comfort to people in situations of crisis, trauma or difficult timesassisting as a tool for therapists or coachesimproving the possibilities of communication, generating openness and reception in the participants and increasing the possibility of healing, social re-insertion or stay in the participants.

At ACUMI we support what we do through individual or company donations and we also have the , where we invite people who want to help sponsor the training of an ACUMI dog, helping us to cover the expenses related to the selection, training and process. adoption of an emotional support dog. The godfather or godmother can choose the dog they want to sponsor and will receive photos and information of their godson dog during the process so that he is aware and can really feel part of the process until this dog is adopted into his human family.

We recently launched the “Get the most out of your dog” course, designed for everyone who owns a dog or is thinking of adopting one. It will help you better understand your dog and thus be able to solve behavior problems or behaviors that you want to change in him without scolding and based on positive reinforcement. You will learn more about the origin of dogs, their basic needs, you will learn basic obedience commands, among many other things that will help you get the most out of your relationship and living with him.

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The course is online, so you can take it at your own time, pace and from wherever you are. It includes pre-recorded sessions with classes and exercises and a personalized online consultation with Dr. Roberto Ruiz, ACUMI ethologist and course teacher, so you can address any questions or specific issues about your dog! Find all the information and sign up at