Horse ‘Doctor’ In France Provides Loving Support To Cancer Patients
Image via Les Sabots du Coeur
While therapy dogs may be an increasingly common sight, have you heard of therapy horses?
In the Calais Hospital in France, a 15-year-old horse, affectionately named Doctor Peyo, has been providing comfort to cancer patients in the palliative care unit.
According to My Modern Met, Peyo had originally been trained to take part in equestrian shows, but his handler, Hassen Bouchakour, realized the horse had a special gift.
Peyo could seemingly pick out people in a crowd, usually those who were sick, and stay close to offer comfort to them.
Wanting to harness Peyo’s incredible ability, Bouchakour now works with non-profit organization Les Sabots du Coeur (Clogs of the Heart), which is conducting research into Peyo’s special touch.
Even more surprising, Peyo identifies which patients to visit in the hospital each day. It signals to his handler by standing in front of their door and raising one leg.
“When he decides, I cannot hold him back; it’s a need, it’s visceral, it is in him, he needs to go, and cling on to the specific person he has chosen,” explained Bouchakour.
Due to the hospital’s strict cleanliness guidelines, Bouchakour spends about two hours preparing Peyo before each trip. The horse is cleaned with disinfectant wipes, and has been taught to signal when it needs to be taken outside to use the bathroom.
Since starting as Doctor Peyo, the stallion has provided comfort and support to over 1,000 patients nearing the end of their lives. Take a look at Peyo in his adorable scrubs below.
[via My Modern Met, cover image via Les Sabots du Coeur]
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