MAN’S BEST THERAPIST

LAST YEAR, LIKE SEEMINGLY every other person you know, I adopted a pandemic pet – Kai, a rambunctious 10-month-old Lab-golden mix. After a year of watching cats’ tails meandering by patients’ screens or hearing puppies barking in the background, I realised I wanted a pet, too. Perhaps I needed one.

Any mental-health professional will tell you that part of our job involves appreciating the therapeutic benefit of pets. In fact, I’m asked to write letters all the time to authorise emotionalsupport animals for patients