Video: How How Therapy Dogs Help in a Crisis

We post fairly frequently about therapy dogs rushing to the scene of a tragedy (shootings, bombings, tornadoes), but we rarely get good insight into exactly what these therapy dogs do. In this video, Brad Cole discusses his experience bringing his Akita, Spartacus, to help after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing:

“Therapy dogs help lesson anxiety, blood pressure,” Cole said. “They help a person decompress, in some cases just distract for the moment, help them to forget where they are for that brief second of what’s happening. And if they’re an animal lover they’ll get a little bit more attached, they’ll scratch, and they’ll cuddle with the dog, and just kind of help them defuse.”

It’s a fascinating look at the ways that dogs can have profound effects on human emotions, especially in times of crisis.

Click here for the full story.