The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: CG6468 on September 14, 2011, 10:18:00 AM
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Dog Therapy at Ground Zero by Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2011
September 10, 2011
Frank Shane, Media, Nikie, Publications & Books
Publisher: Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2011 ~ Adapted from “9/11Stories of Courage, Heroism and Generosity†(Zagat Survey)
Frank Shane, a professional dog trainer and trauma therapist and CEO of the K-9 Disaster Relief Foundation, had to improvise when he brought his golden retriever, Nikie, down to Ground Zero. There was no protocol for anything—from the kind of footwear Nikie should wear to how Frank should deal with the unfathomable grief of 9/11. Yet from the moment Frank and his dog stepped onto the site, they both knew they had a job to do. As it turned out, a pair of soft ears and a wagging tail offered one of the best ways to connect to the people on the ground.
Soon after the attacks, Nikie and I were walking around the Family Assistance Center when a woman made a beeline for us. Trained in crisis intervention, I had decided to bring Nikie to the Center at Pier 94, set up by the city to help families of the missing or dead, because I thought he might cheer up some of the kids whose parents were navigating this unbelievable tragedy.
The woman tackled Nikie and threw her arms around him. “Hello,†I said.
The woman didn’t respond, and she didn’t let go.
“What’s your name?†I tried again.
Nothing. Despite Nikie’s and my many experiences working with people in hospitals and trauma centers, we had never elicited this kind of emotion before.
A Great dog! (http://k9disasterrelief.wordpress.com/2011/09/10/dog-therapy-at-ground-zero-by-wall-street-journal-september-10-2011/)