Working from home has now become a certifiable option for a lot of people and companies. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic spread like wildfire, most people were forced to stay indoors as lockdowns were initiated all over the globe. Thanks to our technology today, many businesses can still cope with the demands.
It’s not just the business sector that needs to adapt. Evidently, a therapy dog in Florida named Jordon has learned to go virtual as well.
Essential animals
Therapy dogs are crucial partners in helping people that have been subjected to abuse, trauma, and sickness. They make people get calm and feel safe, Their presence is essential, but with the pandemic, they couldn’t interact directly with the humans who need them.
Jordon, a five-year-old Labrador, works with a children’s advocacy center in Seminole County, Florida, called Kids House. She is among several therapy dogs that help neglected and abused children. Many kids love her, but she can’t help them anymore when the lockdown happened.
According to the counselors, Jordon, and the rest of their highly-trained dogs, offer unconditional love to the children they treat, and they have developed a silent yet deep connection with them. This is a relationship that most of the children in their care never had in their lives.
Going virtual
Because the kids have been forced to stay at home, they need their therapy sessions more than ever. In fact, during the first few weeks of the lockdown, there has been an increase in referrals given to the center. The children are isolated, and they feel more stressed than usual.
The staff had to resort to doing sessions online. Without the therapy dogs near the children, it was more difficult to calm them down. Thankfully, virtual visits by Jordon have helped give them some comfort.
The dog would join sessions, and Jordon’s presence has an effect even though the kids can’t touch her. The dog is very eager, though, to resume in-person appointments. She loves those kids as much as they love her.
Source: Jordon’s Journal via Facebook
