В аэропорту Клинтон появился первый в штате сертифицированный кролик-терапевт по кличке Кlover

Meet Clover, the therapy bunny hopping in to soothe delayed flyers at Clinton airport LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — If you’ve ever found yourself staring at an airport departure board that just won’t budge, Clinton National Airport has a fluffy new way to take the edge off: meet Clover, the state’s only certified therapy bunny. Clover and her handler, Carey Woods, visit Clinton National Airport as part of the airport’s Bow Wow program, with a special focus on travelers dealing with flight delays. Woods said they check for delays and try to “zero in on those” gates to visit with people whose travel plans have been thrown off. While Clover is happy to visit with anyone, Woods said the bunny tends to draw a crowd. “The kids love us, you know, the adults love us, you know, really, anyone that is is likes animals usually will gravitate towards us,” Woods said, adding that at times it becomes “a crowd-control thing.” Woods said one benefit of a rabbit as a therapy animal is that some people can be intimidated by larger animals, and a bunny feels more approachable. Clover’s uniqueness also sparks curiosity and conversation, with people asking questions about therapy animals, rabbits and Clover herself. At home, Woods described Clover as “a free-roaming, litter box-trained rabbit that’s extremely social.” Woods said Clover will meet people at the front door when the doorbell rings and is friendly with the family dog, too. Woods said not every pet is cut out for therapy work. She originally thought her dog would be a good candidate, but after learning more about what it takes to become a therapy animal team, she realized the dog wasn’t suited for it. That’s when she looked at Clover differently. “She’s, like I said, she’s extremely social. She loves people in general. She likes strangers. She’s not shy at all, you know,” Woods said. “So she’s just an exceptional animal. She’s extremely empathetic.” One of Woods’ most memorable moments with Clover happened during a school visit a couple of years ago, after a tornado came through Central Arkansas. Woods said they were visiting a special needs class when a young man who was considered nonverbal petted Clover, and then spoke his first word. “After petting Clover, he said his very first word, and it was Clover,” Woods said. Woods said therapy animals aren’t meant to replace medical treatment or counseling, but they can help in meaningful ways. “But what they do is they can decrease stress, anxiety, they can lower blood pressure, they help people with interaction with each other,” she said. For anyone wanting to follow along with Clover’s visits, Woods said Clover has an Instagram page and can be found under “clovertherapyrabbit.” Woods also pointed people to Central Arkansas Pet Partners for more information about therapy animals, the evaluation program and where teams visit.