Acute effects of a rehabilitation dog on walking ability, confidence, safety and enjoyment in children with cerebral palsy

Purpose Children with cerebral palsy (CP) face challenges in their walking and balance, which can be addressed through rehabilitation. Working with a rehabilitation dog as dynamic walking support as part of rehabilitation is novel, but the influence of a rehabilitation dog on walking is unknown in CP.Method A repeated-measures, single time point design included ambulatory (GMFCS I-II) children with CP (n = 11; 7–18 years). Spatiotemporal parameters including speed, cadence, step length, and relative (%) stance, swing, and double-support (DS) time were measured while participants walked with (WD) and without (ND) a rehabilitation dog. Visual Analog Scales (VAS) captured perceived change in enjoyment, confidence, safety, and comfort while walking WD and ND. Paired t-tests evaluated differences between walking WD and ND.Results Spatiotemporal parameters were highly variable WD and ND with no significant differences in means and SDs. VAS scores significantly increased (p ≥ 0.05) for enjoyment, comfort, and safety when walking with the dog.Conclusion Walking with a rehabilitation dog significantly improves children’s perceived comfort, safety, and enjoyment when walking. Spatiotemporal walking parameters might be affected by walking with the dog. Further evaluation of interventions incorporating a rehabilitation dog would inform how a service dog could impact walking rehabilitation and performance.