Studies of dog assisted interventions often focus on the effects they have on clients health or situation. In contrast, the aim of this study was to analyze supervisors descriptions of dog assisted interventions in daily activity centers and to discuss how these interventions might affect the client’s situation. The study was performed through six semi-structured interviews using a thematic interview guide created by the authors for this study. The interviewees were supervisors at five different daily activity centers. Activities at the centers entailed direct, specified interactions with dogs such as dog-walks or dog training, or indirect interactions through the day-to-day care and maintenance of a day-care center for dogs. The empirical data was analyzed through manual coding from which three main categories were derived: The supervisors descriptions of the dogs role, the supervisors descriptions of their own role and the supervisors descriptions of the aims of their daily activity centers. The data from these categories were then analyzed further by using established pathogenic and salutogenic theories of health and health promotion. The analysis of the supervisors descriptions revealed both salutogenic and pathogenic components. These components were detected by checking whether the supervisors focused on the clients strengths or limitations. However all supervisors described the opportunity for occupation and interaction with dogs as beneficial for their clients. Our conclusion was that dog assisted daily activity centers can affect the client’s situation through both pathogenic and/or salutogenic health promotion. These centers can enable a normalization process that in turn creates opportunities for the clients to integrate into society
