Since I introduced animals into my child psychotherapy (心理治疗) practice, my life as a doctor has been full of wonders. One Friday afternoon, Diane, a darkhaired fiveyearold girl, who had1said a word to anyone outside her home environment, came to me for professional help.
When Diane and her parents were2in the waiting room, my dog, Puppy, and I walked out to3them. I noticed immediately Diane sat with her head down, her eyes direct the floor in front of her, making no move to4.
Puppy, walking ahead of me, made a beeline for Diane. Because Diane's head was5, Puppy was just three feet from her when the girl finally6sight of him. Startled by the7sight, the girl's eyes became huge and then her mouth curved slowly into a smile. Puppy stopped8in front of Diane and laid his head in her lap. She began to silently pet Puppy's head, running her9softly over Puppy's ears and nose.
Then I gave Puppy a hand10to go back into the inner office. As Puppy walked away, I watched Diane's face fall and her eyes take on a11expression. I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you wanted Puppy to stay. All you have to do for him to come back is say, ‘Puppy, come.'"
After struggling inside, Diane called in a soft12, "Puppy, come; please come." As Diane's parents watched in tears, I gave Puppy another signal and he ran over to the girl who13her chair and hugged Puppy tightly around the neck. Seeing this, I was14, for Diane had taken the first step in her journey toward being able to interact (互动) with the world outside her home and Puppy had15his magic again.
