Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Comfort dogs

On a cool winters day in Cedar Key, we met this fine woman and her husband and their three dogs. They are from the state of Illinois and had been vacationing in Cedar Key. They love their dogs who were very sweet. It turns out that the dogs are "comfort dogs." They are specially trained and they visit the elderly, sick, and shut-ins on a regular basis back "home" to bring them a little comfort and canine affection.

6 comments:

Stefan Jansson said...

We see more and more cats, and the odd dog, at the Swedish retirement homes these days. It's amazing what an effect a little cat can have.

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

Bless their hearts for that kind of work. Seems the dogs are a tad spoiled, or is just an easier way to keep track of them I wonder.

cieldequimper said...

That's brilliant.

I'm sure that walking would be a great exertion after all that hard comforting work...

Cezar and Léia said...

Love this idea! :)
But cold weather there...hmmm, difficult to believe! LOL

Léia

Unknown said...

So cool! And look at the pelicans in the background.

Linda said...

Just wonderful! Lovely photo! Animals can help so much and I am glad that people realize this. In my area, (Montreal, Canada), we call this animal assisted therapy. In many hospitals and seniors' residences, cats and dogs are brought in to comfort the sick and frail, and they can work wonders. In one instance, a senior woman wasn't talking to anyone...but once they brought a dog in, the woman began talking to the dog! What an amazing transformation!
The hospitals and seniors' residences...when animals are used for therapy there, the animals are checked thoroughly for health and temperament before they can be qualified to go.
Thanks so much for sharing, Lowell.