The lesser known of New York's canine heroes, comfort dogs, such as this golden retriever, help soothe those affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Similar to search-and-rescue dogs, comfort dogs travel to disaster scenes to aid relief efforts. Studies show that people experience physiological changes—such as a drop in heart rate and blood pressure—when they pet animals.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Zip USA: 10013—After the Fall," September 2002, National Geographic magazine)
Photograph by Ira Block
3 comments:
Thank you for reminding us to honor the 4-legged heroes
I didn't even know they had comfort dogs. I remember when my mom was in a nursing home they would bring little puppies there for them to hold.
Also our church - we have about 4 little puppies that come in and are being trained as guide dogs.
Dogs are fabulous.
I knew there were a lot of canine heros that worked during that time and it was nice to remember their service as well. Thanks!
Having smart helper dogs are really a blessing to those of use who use their services. OC, BG and Sadie all help me with various tasks around here that it is hard or impossible to do without pain, such as picking up things off of the floor for me, and putting the horses where I want them. (OC doesn't do this anymore because she doesn't get around to well herself and I don't want her getting hurt because she can't move fast enough to get out of a horse's way. It really ticks her off that she can't help and Sadie can... ) Linda
PS: I kissed some noses for you and sniffed puppy breathe, too! :)
Post a Comment