They say a dog is a man's best friend, but canines may also be a women's best protection against abusive partners.
And Spanish non-for profit foundation Security Dogs is doing just that, with "protection dogs" (or "pepos" in Spanish) being trained by veteran security dog handler, Ángel Mariscal, to protect women who have faced gender violence.
![They say a dog is a man's best friend but in Spain canines may also be a woman's best protection against abusive partners.](/web/20161031002529im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/v/l/r/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsa2pf.png/1477616670708.jpg)
Approached seven years ago, Mariscal told El Pais he initially didn't want to be involved, but soon realised the positive affects that dog's natural protective instincts could have in transforming women's lives.
The trainer has since provided 20 women with protective dogs, with a further 16 women from all over Spain on the waiting list. Matched to the personality and situation, the dogs undergo an intensive 200-hour training course with their new owners to ensure they remain sociable and only protect with a specific command from the women.
![América with her Canary mastiff Vero.](/web/20161031002529im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/3/9/9/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsa2pf.png/1477616670708.jpg)
"There was no need to train a dog to defend somebody: all dogs have a deep-rooted protective instinct. I had worked with dogs for 25 years and never fully realised this," Mariscal told El Pais.
"These dogs do not bite, and they don't go in for the kill. They are not aggressive, because we need animals that are very sociable, able to live in homes with children and behave perfectly normally until they are given a specific command."
The purchase and training of each dog costs around $11,428, but with no government or public funding Mariscal uses the profits from his private security firm to provide the initiative free of charge once the women have been assessed by a pyschologist and their domestic violence history is noted.
"We prefer it if the courts have already issued a restraining order against the woman's partner, but we will look at cases where women are too frightened to report their aggressor to the authorities.
"We soon realised that these dogs do so much more than just protect their new owners. They give women a new sense of self-confidence: women feel empowered, they get their lives back, they start going out and meeting new people."
Domestic Violence NSW CEO Moo Baulch said implementing a similar program in Australia on a state or national level would require an extensive conversation and a trial to create legislative boundaries. .
"In Canada and the US there has certainly been a push for dogs to be seen as a protective companion for women and children, particularly in sexual violence cases, but the security element that this scheme presents has not been widely looked into," Baulch said.
"Our systems in Australia are quite different to Spain, with more women and children encouraged to reach out of the police and to other initiatives for support. Services have been looking into the therapeutic qualities of allowing individuals to have their pet with them in a similar way to guide dogs, as women are often hindered by not having a place to take their pets with them to."
But it's time to start a conversation about the beneficial impact of animals, and explore innovative methods that can help understand trauma, she added.
"It's talking about the way animals can been incorporated into environments such as courtrooms to make women feel therapeutic protection, rather than defended. That is the flaw of implementing this initiative on a wider scale, alarm bells ring when it comes to an added element of security risk, but it is important to explore the impact new initiatives could have in Australia."
América, one of the women benefiting from the Spanish program, says her protection dog is making a lasting impact over the other methods she has tried - including group therapy sessions for gender-specific violence. Campaigning with the other 20 women, she hopes she will soon be able to take her dog Vero everywhere to protect her.
The violence survivor now sports a tattoo of a dog's paw print, emblazoned underneath with: "You came into my life so I could be free again."