Excerpt:

Co-workers at Care House of Oakland County, a nonprofit serving abused and neglected children, describe the recent addition to the staff in glowing terms. “He is very intuitive.” He brings “joy wherever he goes.” He‘s “very trusting.”

Even Carol Furlong, executive director says: “It‘s like he has this sixth sense. He can sense when someone is having a bad day and he’ll want to connect. I swear I’ve never even heard him growl.”

Just when you want to say “I should hope not!,” you realize Furlong is talking about an 11-month-old Goldendoodle, that marvelous hybrid of a golden retriever and a poodle known for their intelligence, obedience and, most of all, their eagerness to please anyone and everyone.

A little over a year ago, Furlong began researching the benefits of canine therapy. Because of a dog’s hands-on approach, they are particularly beneficial for treating children who have issues with trust and struggle to communicate verbally. And since, as Furlong says: “we deal a lot with the problem of secrecy,” a dog can draw a child out of his or her protective shell.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140604/LIFESTYLE/306040035#ixzz33gAtGL1w