Vangelis is a therapy dog characterised by his love for play and attention. He was trained and is now ready to give care and love to anyone who needs him, especially autistic children.
Many times, adults lose the ability to see the magic in their everyday lives, but luckily, kids don't. So one child started to draw on the paper in front of him a dog at the top where two buildings joined. One was looking at his paper, and the other at Vangelis next to him.
He changed one colour after another without talking or looking at me (after all, he had a lot of difficulty making eye contact with me but never with Vangelis). White, black, red, green, blue.
He knew exactly what he wanted to paint and made it seem like a secret ritual that no one should disturb.
Vangelis, the dog "bear" loved by children.
He only let me look once she was done, except for a little bit at the beginning. When he had finished his painting, full of pride, he did not give it to me but left it in front of Vangelis at his feet as a gift.
And then I saw him: Vangelis in a red cape was flying over the buildings, and the child on top of a building was greeting him.
When I asked him the meaning of what he had drawn, he replied: "When I'm afraid, I think of Vangelis, and my fear passes. He is my superhero with magic paws. When he touches me, everything gets better."
And that's how the term therapy dog and what Vangelis represents as well as the rest of our Dog Therapy organisation, immediately took on a magical quality.
It gave us more strength to continue the healing procedures we do for people who need us and we will always try to support the hero image they have created for our therapy dogs. After all, that's what heroes do; they always help those who need them.
Konstantina Thanasoulas works as a dog trainer and conducts individual and group therapy sessions with the help of a therapy dog
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