The dog who helps vaccinate children who are afraid of needles

At Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California, there’s a special member: Ollie, a six-year-old goldendoll (a mixture of poodle and goldfish).

In California, children between the ages of 5 and 11 can already be vaccinated against Covid-19, but many are afraid to die from needles. NS dog Helping children with fear and anxiety overcome this barrier and get vaccinated.

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is part of Team of 14 “therapy dogs”They have been trained to attract the attention of frightened youngsters. Watch more in the video below:

Dog helps calm children receiving Covid-19 vaccine in the US

The expectation of a skewer made 9-year-old Avery Smith cry, but then Olly came over and sat at her feet. Avery’s mother, Kelly Donahue, snapped a photo of her with her dog and 6-year-old sister Olive. The shock passed quickly.

“It helped me because I had never had the Covid vaccine before and didn’t know what it was like. But when I saw the dog, I calmed down,” Avery said.

The Canine Therapy Program is back at Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California – Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake

Before the vaccine, it was puppies They already had a job: to bring a little joy to the children’s hospital patients, most of whom were in the hospital with cancer or other illnesses that drained the patients’ energy.

Sometimes the ones who need a dog’s paw are the parents of the kids. “Sometimes a parent says, ‘He’s asleep after surgery, but can I pet the dog?'” “They hug the dogs and they feel better,” says Kristen Guest, 75, owner of Ole Restaurant, a program volunteer and former director of the hospital.

When the restrictions began on behalf of Covi-19, more than 20,000 visits for dogs to hospitals were halted. Now speaking again.

“There was nothing. It was silent. The children were bored,” hospital spokesman Carlos Delgado said. “So, thank God, we were able to rerun the show together. Even a three-minute visit with a dog makes a difference in their day.”