Now that it’s time for kids to line up and get their defense against COVID-19, there’s an expected percentage of vaccine hesitancy. After all, needles are not any kid’s best friend and they’re scared it would hurt. To combat this fear, hospitals and vaccination centers are employing therapy dogs to help comfort the kids so they could get their much-needed defense against the virus.
One of the star therapy dogs is a six-year-old Goldendoodle named Ollie who helps kids at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego overcome their fear and anxiety of the injection. Ollie and 14 other therapy dogs of the PetSmart Paws for Hope Canine Therapy Program have been on the frontline ever since kids aged 5 to 11 became eligible for the vaccine. And they’re definitely doing a really good job at that.
One of those kids who was having a difficult time before getting her vaccine was nine-year-old Avery Smith. So to help calm her down, Ollie came in and sat by her feet, and just like that, Avery started to feel so much better. When asked about it, Avery expressed how she was in tears because she didn’t have a COVID-19 vaccine before and she didn’t know if it would hurt but Ollie helped in making her feel a lot less scared.
But even before the pandemic, therapy dogs like Ollie have already been bringing joy to kids admitted to the hospital. Many of them who are battling cancer and other diseases find comfort in seeing and petting dogs. Some even get their confidence back up when they interact with these dogs.
The visits of therapy dogs came to a halt when the pandemic hit but thankfully, the program restarted three months ago. The kids definitely missed the dogs and this definitely made all the difference for them.
Source: U.S. News