Golden Retriever's Sweet Playtime with Toddlers at Children's Hospital Is Melting Hearts Everywhere

Yahoo

02-03-2025

There's no doubt that dogs have the magical power to heal. Their presence alone has been shown to reduce anxiety, boost mood, and put a smile on your face. Golden Retriever and therapy dog, Maui, offers her healing powers to ailing little ones at a New Jersey children's hospital, and for one scared little boy named Josiah, an interaction with her is everything.
Therapy dogs like Maui are true blessings to everyone they encounter and little Josiah's reaction is proof. Watch their precious moment together and let it lift you up the way it lifted him.
The too pure scene shared by @cbsnews is the reason why therapy dogs are so important. Golden Retrievers are among the most chosen pups for service or therapy work because of their naturally friendly temperament and calm, sweet disposition, so it's not surprising Maui's able to help Josiah feel less afraid of the hospital.
As the cation reads, Josiah and Maui's interaction filled the whole room with joy, further proving dogs are too good. Many took to the comments to praise sweet Maui for her work.
"This is so adorable, it literally made me cry. I hope Josiah is doing okay and Maui is there for him always!" one person wrote. Another offered word of hope adding, "This is the most precious friendship! I hope that this beautiful baby is restored to health and that one day, he's well enough to leave the hospital behind to have fun in the sunshine with his sweet Maui friend."As noted in the post, Children's Specialized Hospital credits "play and pet therapy" in Josiah's recovery. According to Shriner's Children's, their pediatric care relies on the use of pet therapy because they "provide wraparound care that our doctors cannot prescribe," and that's a spot-on statement because it's true.
Along with stress and fear reduction, animal-assisted therapies offer hope, and it's not just for children. Therapy dogs like Maui do important work providing comfort and positivity in an otherwise tense or fearful situation. Their worth cannot be measured for all they do.
For hospitals like CSH or Shriners, these pups provide children with a welcome distraction from impending procedures or surgeries they might otherwise dread and any parent knows how much that helps. Besides that, the joy of these furry interactions just make people happy, contributing to an overall better wellbeing.
Evidence-based benefits these cuties provides include increased confidence and wellbeing, calm, relaxation, adjustment to a hospital setting (especially for long-term, child patients), and ultimately, healing. All of this to say, keep up the good work, Maui. You're literally saving lives!
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