Therapy dogs social distancing
April 27, 2020
Even from behind a computer screen, man’s best friend is proving to be pretty “paw-some” in helping sick kids cooped up by the coronavirus pandemic.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is bringing dogs and their handlers face-to-face with sick children during the required social distancing. The hospital has provided at least 60 dog handlers with a video conferencing way to plop a happy pup in front of a computer for a child in need of some encouragement to get well.
Program Manager Kate Buhrmaster said it does not seem to matter that the dogs are not physically present. She said kids still react to the sight of the dogs, wanting handlers to scratch or “belly-rub” them.
Besides one-on-one meet-ups, the program provides for eight dogs to do a call-in as well.
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