Beyond schools, therapy dogs are also used in communities and elderly nursing homes to provide emotional support, social interaction and exercise motivation for various groups, such as senior citizens, children and individuals with autism.

Paw for Heal was founded by pet behavior expert Wu Qi in 2012. It has collaborated with specialists in autism recovery, elderly care, neuroscience and special education to develop courses for training therapy dogs and applying them in assisted therapy, providing physical, cognitive and emotional assistance.

Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.