Therapy dogs help hospital patients

By ZHOU WENTING in Shanghai | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2023-05-04 07:20
Share
Share - WeChat
Therapy dogs help patients at Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital last month. [PHOTO by GAO ERQIANG/CHINA DAILY]

Voluntary interactive sessions relieve stress, offer emotional comfort

Biubiu would probably still be a skeletal stray dog with a tangled coat were it not for the help she received from Jin Pei, a retired book editor in Shanghai.

Jin encountered Biubiu, a mixed breed with the appearance of a small schnauzer, on a wintry night in 2015 when the dog dashed out from an alleyway as Jin was walking her own canine.

"She walked fast when we walked fast, and slowed down when we did. She followed us for a long way, and I sensed she was eager to find herself a home," Jin said.

Since that night, the pair have become close companions, and in December, Biubiu became a therapy dog, visiting care homes for the elderly and rehabilitation facilities for autistic children to aid their recovery.

"I used to be extremely shy, but running into Biubiu that night really lifted my spirits. That's why I decided to send her to be trained as a therapy dog, so that she could help more people," Jin said.

Wu Qi, founder of Paw for Heal, a volunteer program established in 2012 that uses therapy dogs, said there are about 300 such animals in China. Some 95 percent of them live with their owners and are put to work when their services are requested.

Each dog must undergo a thorough training program and international-standard tests before becoming a certified therapy dog. Wu, 38, said that the animals have provided help for at least 100 institutions.

Therapy dogs have been introduced in more than 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and Xiamen, Fujian province. By the end of this year, they are expected to start work in another 10 cities, and their total number is expected to rise to 1,000, Wu said.

"By providing such a service, we hope to raise awareness among more people that dogs are more than just companions for their owners at home. They can go out into society to play a certain role for individuals in need," Wu added.

In the middle of last month, Jin and Biubiu went to Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital to help patients. The hospital is the first medical institution in the city to introduce therapy dogs.

Four other dogs also provided assistance at the hospital — Momo, a white samoyed, Dobby, a gray-and-white border collie; Yoyo, a snow-white bichon frise with a mass of fluffy fur, and Yuda, a Chinese rural dog who used to be a stray.

1 2 3 4 5 Next   >>|
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产V亚洲V天堂无码久久久| 在线观看免费a∨网站| 亚洲国产另类久久久精品黑人| 老师办公室被吃奶好爽在线观看| 国产精品多p对白交换绿帽| 三年片在线观看免费观看大全中国 | 国产精彩视频在线观看| 中文字幕亚洲一区二区va在线| 欧美一级二级三级视频| 人妻精品久久久久中文字幕一冢本| 草莓视频未满十八勿网站| 国产精品v欧美精品∨日韩| av网站免费线看| 粗暴hd另类另类| 国产成人免费全部网站| 97人妻人人做人碰人人爽| 成人性生活免费视频| 久久综合图区亚洲综合图区| 欧美色图23p| 免费观看男男污污ww网站| 被义子侵犯的漂亮人妻中字| 国产精品久久久久久一区二区三区| a级片免费视频| 成人国产精品视频频| 久久夜色精品国产噜噜麻豆| 欧美卡4卡1卡2卡3超清免费| 亚洲视频在线观看视频| 精品真实国产乱文在线| 国产你懂的在线观看| 亚洲娇小性色xxxx| 国产高清在线看| xx00动态图| 手机在线看片你懂得| 久久精品国内一区二区三区| 欧美成人在线免费观看| 伊人久久大香线蕉无码| 精品欧美一区二区三区在线观看 | 中文字幕在线视频免费观看| 日韩欧美在线视频| 亚洲免费在线视频播放| 永久在线观看www免费视频|