A four-month-old Australian Labradoodle puppy will be the first of its kind to be a therapy dog for firefighting. While the iconic firefighting dogs such as the Dalmatian clears the path to let the firetruck through, Digby the Labradoodle stays behind in the firetrucks to help in preventing long-term psychological damage on victims after traumatic incidents such as fire. Dogs are known to calm people, having the presence of a therapy dog like Digby in a time of disaster is a game changer.

While the dog is still in training, Digby will also meet vulnerable individuals like children in schools, hospices, and hospitals as part of an exposure or socialization experience to make him comfortable in alien environments. This is so that he can perform his role when he takes up his post in the fire stations.

Digby’s handler at the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is Matt Goodman. He said that “It’s been scientifically proven that therapy dogs like Digby can support individuals in distress or who are dealing with very difficult situations in their life. So, the idea of Digby is to take that philosophy and bring it to the fire and rescue sector.”

Article source: bbc.com

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