- Title: Therapy dogs bring comfort to victims after building collapse
- Date: 27th June 2021
- Summary: SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 2021) (REUTERS) TAL THE THERAPY DOG ON THE BEACH NEAR SITE OF COLLAPSED BUILDING WOMAN WHOSE FRIENDS ARE MISSING IN THE COLLAPSE PETTING TAL AS HE IS HELD BY BORICUAS DE CORAZON COUNSELOR WOMAN WHOSE FRIENDS ARE MISSING IN THE COLLAPSE AND HER PARTNER PETTING TAL (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PRESIDENT OF BORICUAS DE CORAZON LINDA PEREZ SAYING: "We are working with different families that are being referred to us in the community center. One of the reasons is because they're having panic attacks or anxiety problems and we have been able to let them work with the dogs, touching the dog, getting their emotions out. Then, we are working with them on wording and the dogs are working with them on emotions." VIEW OF ROW OF BUILDINGS INCLUDING COLLAPSED BUILDING IN REAR WITH CRANE FROM BEACH VIEW OF CRANES AND BUILDING ZOOM SHOT OF STANDING BUILDING REMAINS SIGN READING 'SURFSIDE STRONG' ON BALCONY OF BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PRESIDENT OF BORICUAS DE CORAZON LINDA PEREZ SAYING: "So they can be able to touch the dog, they can feel the dog, they can be able to have that contact with their eyes. It's very neat. Animals are absorbing everything emotional that they are feeling at the same time and they can be able to be very relaxing for them." FAMILY WITH MISSING RELATIVE IN BUILDING PETTING THERAPY DOG TAL TAL BEING PETTED BY TEENAGER WHO IS MISSING A RELATIVE TWO WOMEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS PETTING THERAPY DOGS (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PRESIDENT OF BORICUAS DE CORAZON LINDA PEREZ SAYING: "(Quoting a woman missing a relative who asked Perez for assistance with the therapy dogs:) 'My daughter is coming tonight at 12:30 in the nighttime from Texas and she is not, we don't know what news we are going to be receiving. I want to check if you can stay a little bit longer.' I said, 'Yeah. We are here for you 24/7.' We were able to get it in here. Tal was able to work with her last night and we are going to be continuing with this family. They're from Houston they want to make sure that they have any kind of closure in the situation and we are working diligently with different families one one case by case." TAL BEING PETTED / WOMAN WALKING AWAY/ COUNSELORS WALKING WITH THERAPY DOGS (SOUNDBITE) (SPANISH) PRESIDENT OF BORICUAS DE CORAZON LINDA PEREZ SAYING: "We have worked with families from Argentina, last night we had more than four families from Argentina. We had a family from Paraguay that was at the (Community) Center. These people from Houston, Texas - we were also with them yesterday. It doesn't matter what their nationality is. What we want to do is offer them our hearts with this small gesture." MOLLY THE THERAPY DOG WITH COLLAPSED BUILDING IN BACKGROUND WOMAN PETTING MOLLY AND TAL VIEW OF MEMORIAL FLOWERS ON BANISTER NEAR COLLAPSED BUILDING WITH OCEAN IN REAR (SOUNDBITE) (SPANISH) PRESIDENT OF BORICUAS DE CORAZON LINDA PEREZ SAYING: "These people are suffering very much. They are getting information little by little is not pleasant for them. They are under a lot of pressure." CLOSE-UP OF MOLLY MOLLY WITH COUNSELOR VARIOUS OF MOLLY AND TAL WITH COUNSELOR (SOUNDBITE) (SPANISH) PRESIDENT OF BORICUAS DE CORAZON LINDA PEREZ SAYING: "What I've seen, the interaction, despite being frustrated with the lack of news is that they feel thankful. They are grateful from the bottom of their hearts for everything that is being done for them. Remember, they don't know each other and when you don't know a person and you see that they're pulling out all the stops to help you. They haven't stopped. The only time they stopped was when there were a couple of little storms, there was thunder and some small fires in a couple of places and they had to stop. It was maybe 20 minutes here, 45 minutes there, but besides that, they've kept going." DOGS BEING WALKED DOWN SIDEWALK DOGS WALKING DOWN BEACH VIRGIN MARY WITH CANDLES ON BEACH POST NEAR COLLAPSED BUILDING
- Embargoed: 11th July 2021 21:23
- Keywords: miami building collapse search and rescue therapy dogs
- Location: SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- City: SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001EJ6G7K7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Meet Tal and Molly. At 7 years of age, Tal is a 130-pound Akbash and Molly is a one-year old Walker Coonhound. The two are trained therapy dogs with the Boricuas de Corazon disaster relief team.
As relatives of the missing wait for news from the site of the Florida condo building that collapsed three days ago, Boricuas de Corazon hopes the dogs will help victims and community members process their emotions.
"We are working with different families that are being referred to us in the community center. One of the reasons is because they're having panic attacks or anxiety problems and we have been able to let them work with the dogs, touching the dog, getting their emotions out. Then, we are working with them on wording and the dogs are working with them on emotions," said Boricuas de Corazon President Linda Perez.
"So they can be able to touch the dog, they can feel the dog, they can be able to have that contact with their eyes. It's very neat. Animals are absorbing everything emotional that they are feeling at the same time and they can be able to be very relaxing for them," she added.
With a bilingual staff, the team has worked in Spanish and English - a reflection of the Miami area, which is home to both Jewish and Latin American diasporas.
"We have worked with families from Argentina, last night we had more than four families from Argentina. We had a family from Paraguay that was at the (Community) Center. These people from Houston, Texas - we were also with them yesterday. It doesn't matter what their nationality is. What we want to do is offer them our hearts with this small gesture," Perez added.
Perez said that her organization partners with other groups that train therapy dogs and they are prepared to stay with the victims for an extended period of time as news trickles in.
More than 150 people still missing and, three days after the collapse, crews had yet to find any signs of life.
(Production: Julio Cesar-Chavez, Arlene Eiras) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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