Cell phones are helpful ____________ reporting emergencies on the road.

This fruit needs __________ before you eat it.

I believe that by the year 2025, people ___________ a way to reduce pollution.

Everyone took an umbrella _________ me.

We’re not used ____________ our own meals.

If I had my own house, I ____________ loud music all the time.

A: I lied to my parents yesterday. B: __________

A: I’m interested in learning more about whales. B: ___________.

A: What was this neighborhood like before? B: __________

Sam goes to work almost every day. His job makes him very happy. He gets to work with a lot of people who really need his help: people who are in the hospital, and people who are depressed. He works with people of all ages and his mission is to help them feel better and heal faster. Sam is not just any kind of therapist—he is a dog. Animal-assisted therapy, or “pet therapy,” was first noted in clinical psychology in 1962, when the child psychologist Boris Levinson wrote a paper called “The Dog as a ‘Co-therapist’.” Levinso found that he could make a lot of progress with the children he counseled by bringing his dog to therapy sessions. He discovered that many children who did not communicate well with people could interact very well with a dog. Since that time, much research has been done on the use of animals in therapy, and pet therapy continues to gain popularity today. Why is pet therapy so effective? The primary reason given is that animals provide unconditional love. They do not care if a person is old or young, healthy or sick. They accept all kinds of people, so people feel they can be more open with an animal. They will often say things to an animal that they might not say to another person. And animals can provide actual health benefits. It is now known that animals lower anxiety and comfort patients. Animal therapy can even lower a patient’s blood pressure and help some patients to live longer. While dogs are most frequently used, cats, horses, and many other animals can also be used in pet therapy: birds, rabbits, fish, hamsters, even llamas. Each animal has specific skills and abilities. These animals often “work” every day in a hospital or clinic, visiting several patients in one day. The results—smiles, better communication, improved health—are always rewarding.
Who is Sam?