Corgi training to be therapy dog comforts grieving man at the airport
Therapy animals can be extremely helpful in airports, because we all know how stressful travel can be. One pup that is in training to be a therapy dog ended up not only helping her owner, she was actually able to help a stranger who happened to be grieving a recent loss.
Cora the corgi is owned by Madison Palm from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. During a trip from Idaho to Alaska on Feb. 9, Cora managed to scoot a few feet away from Palm while in the airport.
Palm realized Cora was sitting next to a man and quickly asked the stranger if the pup was bothering him. The man, who was petting Cora, said that she wasn’t and shared that he had just lost his dog the night before.
“I’ve never had a doubt that Cora can sense those who are hurting and those who need companionship and love,” Palm wrote in a Facebook post about the encounter. “She is a natural born therapy dog in every way.”
Palm expanded on this in an interview with “Today,” noting that she wasn’t all that surprised to learn that Cora’s instincts had led her to the grieving man.
“I truly think she has a gift. She knows who is hurting and she knows who needs her,” Palm said. “Once he told me that his dog passed away I looked at Cora and I thought to myself, ‘You are so amazing. How did I get so lucky?'”
Palm managed to catch a quick video of Cora’s visit with the stranger:
As if it couldn’t get any more adorable, a few days later on Feb. 15—we’re guessing on Palm and Cora’s trip home from Alaska—Cora’s calming presence came to the rescue again.
Palm shared on Facebook that Cora had helped a young child cool down, and she shared pictures of all the pets and love the corgi received on her way through the airport.
Certified dog behaviorist Colleen Demling told Rover that a dog’s ability to unconditionally love makes them such great support systems.
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“This 100 percent acceptance without judgment when a person is depressed, anxious, lonely, wearing the same clothes as yesterday and can’t get out of bed helps people feel like they have a true friend during their difficulties,” Demling explained.
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When Cora wasn’t sharing love with grieving stranger, she was being a great travel buddy to her owner. These photos prove it!
Cora isn’t the only pet who has made waiting at the airport a little calmer.
Lilou the pig is part of the Animal Assisted Therapy Program of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. You’ll find her roaming the terminals of the San Francisco International Airport offering assistance to anyone in need. She’s the first-ever pig to be honored with such a role.
You can tell she’s proud:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeWVt1CAYaM/?taken-by=lilou_sfpig
These animals certainly are something special. If your pet happens to be nearby, give it a great big snuggle! It’ll make you feel all warm inside, especially after reading about the incredible Lilou and Cora.