Therapy Dog Nella's Doctor Journal

Therapy dog Nella with kids in Rehabilitation Center for Hearing Impaired Children in Haidian District

Hello, I am Nilla, a 3-year-old professional therapy dog or dog doctor. Today, my master Marcy and I have come to Rehabilitation Center for Hearing Impaired Children in Haidian District, there, over 80 children are eager to see us. Another 3-year-old Labrador-Xiniu and 7-year-old Luna are also with me as interns this time, different from me, both of them are family pets before being selected and trained to doctors.

You may scoff at the idea, say, what a dog can do to children with hearing problems when real doctors can do nothing about it? While the truth is only by touching and playing with us they will feel very much released and less anxious. This job is a lot harder than it sounds, for it requires us to be 100% quiet, calm and submissive, no matter what these children do to us, such as grabbing tails.

Kids here look no difference than any others at the first sight, but almost all of them are both physically suffered with hearing problems and auditory aphasis ,autism or even cerebral palsy and both mentally enduring loneliness and insecurity far away from home.

All factors form a thick wall for the children here to have normal communication with other kids of the same age. Teachers here are sparing no efforts in helping them to build more confidence and eradicate the resistance to talk when they meet strangers.

They may be too shy to talk or smile to other people, yet all worries are gone when they get 0 distance with us because of children's born affection towards cute animals.

Learning new words is boring sometimes, even to normal students, don't mention the children with difficulty in hearing and speaking. However, being with us, their attention is fully attracted and learning during the interacting becomes joyful and pleasant. It's obviously to see their growing confidence and willingness to talk during the process.

However, the idea to introduce us into a class or treatment still sounds unacceptable in China, according to Ms. Quan, Principle of this center, it took her quite a while to finally made this bold decision. and the effect, is beyond imagination.

Time flies, an-hour visit comes to the end soon, kids reluctantly said goodbye to us, we are so proud that our efforts is well paid off by these children's sweat smiling faces. A lot needs to do in helping people like them and we do hope more and more people get to understand "therapy dog" and voluntarily take their pets to join us, to share and to care.