At Southampton Children’s Hospital in the United Kingdom, a team of therapy dogs is assisting in calming the anxiety of ill children who are undergoing medical treatments.While offering comfort and smiles for the young patients, the six golden retrievers also demonstrate to them that medical procedures are not as frightening as they may seem.

It all began around seven years ago when a little kid in hospital was had to wear a mask, and since he had never worn one before, he was a bit intimidated by the prospect. Fortunately, a therapy dog who was on hand to give some much-needed comfort stepped in to assist him.

One of the therapy dogs was delighted to push his nose into a spare mask and have a whiff, according to volunteer and ‘dog parent’ Lyndsey Uglow, who spoke to Yahoo News Australia.

When the patient saw that the dog was ‘using’ the mask, he was eager to give it a shot himself.

After a year-long investigation into the effects of therapy dogs on children, researchers discovered that the presence of dogs reduced anxiety in young patients while they waited for tests, investigations, and examinations. That’s something to celebrate!