THERAPY DOGS IN THE HOSPITAL
Everybody can suffer from pain or become ill. When people have a serious medical problem, they may decide to go to the emergency room* at the nearest hospital. There they expect to meet doctors and nurses who will help them feel better. But in some emergency rooms people may also see something surprising: There may be a dog there to help them! Dogs that help people in hospitals are called therapy dogs. Today, you may see therapy dogs in some hospitals in several countries, such as the USA, Canada and France.(lines 1–8)
Therapy dogs are very special. They are trained from a young age to be very gentle with people. Their owners take them to hospitals for a few hours every week to visit the patients. Research shows that after these visits, many patients feel less pain and they are also less worried.(lines 9–11)
Scientists believe that there are two reasons for these effects. "First of all, when people pay attention to the dog, they don't think so much about their pain," says Professor John Wilson from Howard University. "Also, dogs often make people feel safe. This is why a visit from a therapy dog helps patients become less worried. These effects last long after the visit is over." According to Professor Wilson, these visits are so helpful that more and more hospitals are planning to use therapy dogs.(lines 12–17)
However, not everyone agrees that bringing therapy dogs to the hospital is a good thing. Some people are afraid of dogs. Others are allergic to animal hair. In addition, some dog owners worry that their dog might get a disease from a patient. "We would like to bring therapy dogs to our emergency room," says Dr. Lehman, head of a hospital in a small town in Canada. "But first, we must do a survey in the local community. A survey will help us find out if most people here think this is a good idea. Then we will decide if we should bring therapy dogs to our hospital."(lines 18–23)