World News for Students of English

27-04-2022 15:00

Parks, a two-year-old Labrador retriever, is the first facility dog for the Orlando Health Hospital for Children.

The dog’s now part of the team, and he’s already making a big difference. Parks knows dozens of commands to help calm patients and perform tasks, and he’s learning even more. He brightens the days, and also aids and rehabs when he holds a bat, hits a ball, and plays with children. According to medical workers, Parks adds some more care that they can’t provide.

Canine Companions has 475 active facility dog teams, and 70 of them now work in a hospital setting. The organization provides service and facility dogs at no cost. The pups are very eager to work and please, and they’re very smart. They undergo extensive training, and they learn tasks to help people, for example, pulling wheelchairs, picking up dropped items or opening doors.

Difficult words: facility dog (a professionally trained dog that does specific tasks), rehab (to return to a normal state after being ill or injured), eager (a strong desire or interest in something).

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