Page 8 - Kind News, May/June 2022

AMAZING WORLD

Kind Questions

Now that you've read Kind
News, challenge yourself
with these questions.

1. This issue mentions
several ways to practice
social awareness. It
brings up how to tell if
The Science of a cat is anxious and
Puppy Love and healthy. Social
help them, and how to
keep pet fish happy

awareness is noticing
how others feel and
making choices that
consider others. What
is at least one way that
you practice social
When Glimmer enters a hospital room, the patting and playing begins. awareness in your
“Sometimes the first smile of the day is because Glimmer has walked own life?
into the room,” says Jennifer Johnson, Child Life Specialist with the cover: need credit. this page: need credit.
Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, California. A Labrador retriever 2. The Amazing World
mix, Glimmer is a trained facility dog who works in the hospital with article talks about how
Johnson to help children who have cancer. facility dogs, like
Glimmer, can help
Playing with, talking to, and petting a dog like Glimmer helps the people. Has an animal
patients do better with their treatments. How? Scientists have found ever made you feel COVER: POZNYAKOV/BIGSTOCK. THIS PAGE: REDROVER.
that a hormone, or chemical made in our brains, called oxytocin better when you were
increases when we bond with dogs and other animals. It is released upset? If so, how? If not,
when we feel safe and loved. Many of us feel this when petting our how do you think an
own pets. Oxytocin helps put patients in a better mood to handle animal might help you
if you were feeling sad
difficult, stressful things. “It takes more than medicine to heal and get or down?
out of the hospital,” says Johnson.

Glimmer came from Canine Companions, a
group that trains dogs to help people. She
graduated knowing over 40 commands!

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