Therapy Dogs Help Kids Get Better

Lucy is going out with her owner, but not just for a walk.

[Nicole, Lucy's Owner]:
“We are going to see our friends.”

Tonight she has a special meeting, in a special place.

This lovable black boxer is no ordinary dog.

[Shirley Hewitt, Patient’s Mother]:
"She is an absolute delight"

She is one of the main therapy dogs at the Ronald McDonald House in New York City.

[Shirley Hewitt, Patient’s Mother]:
"Everybody seems to love Lucy."

Her patients are children who are suffering.

[Shirley Hewitt, Patient’s Mother]:
“Chloe has medulloblastoma, brain tumors, so we came here and she had surgery and she’s had chemotherapy and radiation. “

With the children, Lucy shows some of her unique therapy techniques, and her other special skills.

[Nicole, Lucy's Owner]:
“We only have a limited amount of tricks that we know, but high five you know, all those work really well.”

A true professional, she treats everybody unconditionally.

[Shirley Hewitt, Patient’s Mother]:
“I think they don’t judge the children, so they just like to be touched and handled. And they are not looking at the children, that they have cancer. They are just looking at them as children.

Kids aren't the only ones who benefit from Lucy’s treatment. Their families do, too.

[Chaplain Cherilyn Frei, Director of Family Support]:
“The mother gets a chance to rest, she has a little respite. She can sit back and just watch and observe her child playing and being happy.”

And her owner enjoys it as well.

[Nicole, Lucy's Owner] :
“Lucy changed my life…. we love visiting the kids, we met so many people, it’s all around just great.”

Dog therapy cannot cure the children's illnesses, but for those fighting for so long, a little relief is precious.

[Chaplain Cherilyn Frei, Director of Family Support]:
“The children sometimes are in a lot of pain. And it helps to blunt the pain for a while to help them forget their problems or forget their pain, even if it’s for a few minutes.”

And after another night of hard work, Lucy proves that sometimes a dog can give us what humans cannot.

NTD News, New York

Reporter & Photographer: Felipe G. Santiago