(12 Sep 2021) In response to a request from Tochigi Library in the city of Tochigi, the Tochigi Animal Therapy Association chose from approximately 20 registered dogs belonging to volunteers to begin training. On the importance of reading therapy dogs during the coronavirus pandemic, Hirokazu Kurokawa, the library’s 46-year-old head, said, “It’s not a bad thing that, with the spread of the coronavirus, children’s learning opportunities online have progressed.
“But it worries me when they only interact with others through tablets and other devices, and their opportunities to communicate directly from play and seeing others outdoors are decreasing. I want to teach them the importance of non-online, real experiences, such as interacting with animals, and using our five senses.”
Read more from the original news from The Mainichi Newspaper here.
