Lhasas and Pet Therapy

I have recently become involved with pet therapy. It has been a truly touching experience. Tiffany and Kyra have started to work with battered women and their children, and I have been wonderfully surprised by the results.

I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. To begin with, the girls have never been around very many people other than their family and I was not sure how they would feel about being thrust into the midst of several traumatize children. Secondly, Lhasas are notoriously chary of strangers to begin with and I was unsure of their reaction to strange people in general, especially away from the security of their own home.

I approached the concept with extreme caution. I did not want either the girls or anyone else hurt or frightened. Initially, I took Kyra to the shelter, since she is somewhat less timid than her sister. I was fully prepared for the experiment to be a total bust, Kyra having an established habit of barking furiously at anyone she does not know well. I fully anticipated that she would steadfastly refuse to have any part of this fiasco.

The first visit was a very small scale event, with only a single family and staff members present. Keeping a firm hold on Kyra, I brought her into the room with a woman and her two young children who had been severely beaten. I was prepared for Kyra to have a total fit and have to remove her immediately. To say she surprised me would be an understatement.

As expected, she was not particularly enchanted with the staff members whom she met first. I figured that was most probably that. However, since I was already there, I decided I might as well let her at least meet the kids, who by that time had discovered there was a puppy around. The minute the kids came into the room, Kyra was transformed. Perhaps her instincts told her that these little humans had been hurt and needed love or maybe she simply responded to their neediness. I really don't know. She began to struggle to get down, I placed her on the ground near the children, still keeping a cautious hand on her, just in case. I need not have worried. Kyra instantly began to kiss and cuddle the kids. Tentatively, they touched her, first her back then her head. She rewarded their efforts with back flips and wags. Soon these children, who had not so much as smiled in the week they had been at the shelter, never mind talked, were rolling on the floor giggling and romping with this mass of furry perpetual motion. I was astonished. So was everyone else, including their mother. For over and hour, these two children romped and played with a bundle of love. When the tired but happy children had been put to bed, their mother came back to thank Kyra. She sat on the floor and reached out a shy hand to my Lhasa. Kyra went to her and sat down in front of her, placing her paw on the woman's hand. Within seconds, the woman was clutching Kyra tightly to her breast and weeping into her furry neck. For long minutes Kyra simply licked the woman's cheek very gently. Finally, the woman released her. Kyra lay quietly beside her with her head in the woman's lap. This lady who had suffered so much pain and fear had finally found a small measure of peace in the form of a small, white Lhasa Apso.

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