This is a cute dog. His name is "Clifton". Clifton is not just a pet dog, but he plays a role as a "staff member" at a facility in Yonago City. We followed Clifton's daily life. My name is Clifton. I am a 1.5 year old labradoodle boy. Today I will introduce to you the place where I live and the people I love. Clifton lives in Gionan Healthcare Apartment in Yonago City. It is a facility that accepts people with designated incurable diseases and severe physical disabilities. Clifton is not just a pet dog, but one of the fine staff members. What kind of work does he do? When the staff visit the rooms of the users to check their vital signs, Clifton accompanies them. And... "Are you feeling okay? Let me take your temperature. Sit down and wait here." Even when taking the temperature and blood pressure, Clifton gently stays close to the users. Yes, Clifton works here as a "therapy dog". Healthcare Apartment Gionan Kitamura Izumi: "I felt like I was being left behind emotionally, surrounded by medicine, infusions and other medical treatments. I thought it would be nice if people could be comforted and feel better both physically and mentally by being surrounded by dogs, which are the closest thing to them." Therapy dogs are companions to the elderly and people with disabilities and illnesses, helping them recover their physical and mental functions. Their areas of activity are expanding year by year, including medical and educational settings. It has been a year since Clifton started living here. His presence is becoming a source of emotional support for many users. Okada: "Traffic accident. I thought it was a problem." Okada injured his cervical spinal cord in a traffic accident and was forced to live in a wheelchair. Even though he cannot move his body freely, Clifton's presence is encouraging. Okada: "Because he is attached to me. He's so cute." Kitano (not his real name) started using this facility a month ago. Kitano (pseudonym) "I got COVID-19 and had surgery. My throat was cut open. It was like I woke up and had surgery." Kitano has suffered from an incurable disease called spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy for about 20 years. As his muscles became thinner every year and he lost strength in his body, he was infected with the new coronavirus in February of this year. As he was left with aftereffects, he had a tracheotomy and began living on a ventilator. Kitano (pseudonym) "People with underlying conditions are more likely to develop severe symptoms. In my case, I had an underlying condition, so I was hit by it, and I had a tracheotomy in a hurry. I was surprised, but I don't understand such things at all, so I was surprised when I saw it. I think of it as a fate, and I'm getting older, so I'm not young anymore. It's all about how I live my life according to this. So I'm trying not to think too deeply about it." A life I never imagined. Still, Clifton gave me the courage to live. Kitano-san (pseudonym) "I also had a dog, and of course it's great to be healed by a dog like this, but it's also nice to touch it. It's cute. It calms my heart. I always get energy from it. I think it's a life." Clifton is friendly and gentle. Although he is originally suited to being a therapy dog, he receives training from a police dog trainer once a week. Police dog trainer Yamamoto Kazumi: "Of course, biting is the worst thing to do, but if he gets excited and starts hopping around, it can lead to an accident." First, he is trained to stay still while sitting. When the teacher skips around him... he follows him. Again. I'm worried about the teacher... but this time he was able to wait well. Clifton is 18 months old and still very mischievous. He is working hard every day in training so that he can become a full-fledged staff member. Police dog trainer Yamamoto Kazumi: "When we interact with wheelchair users, we can get a little nervous and overly considerate, but I think this dog just goes along with it, being himself, and I think he feels happy that no one is being considerate to him." I'm very happy when everyone who lives and works here is smiling. I'll continue to do my best to make everyone smile! Healthcare Apartment Gionan Kitamura Izumi: "I hope that Cliff will be there naturally so that everyone can smile and be happy." Therapy dog ​​Clifton will continue to be close to the hearts of many people and spread the circle of smiles. [BSS News] https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/list/bss [TBS NEWS DIG] https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/