The owner of American pit bull terrier Bice said that spending 30 minutes with the canine provides children and young people with “freedom from problems, and happiness”.

Children in war-torn Ukraine seek comfort from trauma through the support of Bice (an American pit bull terrier), a tail-wagging therapist.

The state-owned Centre for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation, in Boyarka, a suburb around 12 miles (20km) southwest of Kyiv, is using support from dogs in order to comfort children who may be traumatised from Russia’s war.

Established in 2000, the centre remains one of the few places with light and heating as Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure leave homes without power.

Oksana Sliepora, a psychologist, observed how some children are scared of loud noises, such as the sound of a jet or the closing of a window. Some children will drop to the ground or ask if there’s a shelter nearby.

Ms Sliepora stated:

One group of children – seven girls and nine boys – ranging from two to 18 years old, were asked by Bice’s owner, Darina Kokozei, to come and ask him to perform a trick, from standing on his hind legs to rolling over.

Many children who use the centre witnessed Russian soldiers invading their homes and beating their families. Some are the sons, daughters, brothers or sisters of soldiers who are on the front lines, many of whom have been killed.

A brother and sister hailing from Kupyansk in eastern Kharkiv witnessed Russian soldiers enter their house with machine guns and grab their grandfather. They then put a bag on their head, beat him and took his clothes.

Another, 9-year-old Maxim, has a 19-year-old paratrooper brother fighting in the town of Bakhmut in the the eastern Donetsk region. Lesya Kucherenko’s mother often breaks down when thinking about her oldest son.

When asked about the message Bice gives to children, Ms Kokozei said that she wanted them to know: Freedom. Happiness and freedom from all problems.