People’s warmest companion – Taiwanese therapy dogs

Dr. Dog provides therapeutic aid to people through making use of the special bond between humans and dogs. A therapy dog, which is a mixture between a family dog and a working dog, only gains certification following rigorous training and screening. People accompanied by therapy dogs respond better to medical treatments, so therapy dogs make regular visits to places such as hospitals, elderly care centers, and special-education centers. In addition, hopefully, closing the distance between people and animals will facilitate a more profound understanding of how to care for animals and ameliorate the problem of stray dogs in Taiwan.

In fact, therapy dogs have been visiting campuses for many years, and the concept of life education has already begun to take root in Taiwan. The Kang Hsuan Chinese textbook used for 5th-graders has one lesson called “A Different Kind of Doctor,” which is all about therapy dogs. At the same time, the association is working towards raising awareness on valuing life and dissuading people from coldheartedly abandoning dogs - if you raise it, it’s till death us do part!

以下為中文對照

「狗醫生服務」是運用狗兒與人類之間的互動，達到輔助人類治療的效果。狗醫生，即是醫療性犬隻 (Therapy Dog)，介於家犬與工作犬之間，通過嚴格訓練及篩選後獲得認證。人類經由狗醫生的陪伴，提升醫療效果。狗醫生組織會定期到醫院、老人養護中心、特殊教育中心等進行探訪活動，在拉近人與動物之間的距離之後，更能讓人懂得愛護動物，進而減少台灣流浪犬問題。

其實狗醫生很早就已經走入校園，在小學五年級的康軒版國語課本中有一課是「不一樣的醫生」，就是狗醫生。生命教育的概念已經開始向下紮根。而在此同時，協會也期望大眾能更懂的珍惜生命，不要隨便棄養狗兒，養了就要對牠負責到底。

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