This news story from KUSA in Colorado features a remarkable dog named Pella, who works with children and developmentally disabled adults during criminal investigations. Pella is not technically a service dog, but a “facility dog.” What she provides is a sense of comfort and well being for those in stressful situations:
“They’re here to talk about things that are traumatic. They, depending on their age, may not have that recognition of it being traumatic, but they feel it,” Urban said. “They know the people around them are feeling it, and they can sense the same things that dogs can. They’re kind of a different level. They don’t communicate the way adults do, and dogs don’t communicate the way people do. So, it’s a little bit better of a connection for a lot of kids to be able to interact with the dog who has no judgment, no opinion. The kids see that and they’re like, ‘Wow, they just like me.'”
It’s a special way to put a dog’s empathy and intuition to good use, and it serves as a reminder that there certainly are times when dogs are better than people.
Click here for the full story.
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