Hug herd

Lack of socialization makes senior citizens lonesome. Nursing homes that care for the elderly try to provide them companionship to break their feelings of isolation.

The Christian Family Service Centre in Hong Kong is an elderly daycare center with a unique way of cheering up its residents, particularly those separated from relatives and who don't get visits from loved ones. The center taps volunteer therapy dogs to keep the seniors company.

There is Rally, a Labrador and a former guide dog, whose golden fur soothes retired driver Ho Yiu-keung, 70, whenever he pets him.

Meanwhile, in northern England, the Dumble Farm near Beverley in east Yorkshire offers unique pet therapy to visitors.

Fiona Wilson and her co-farmers came up with cuddling sessions in February as their dairy businesses were losing money due to sales shortfalls and the high maintenance cost. The sessions, which include educational activities on conservation and sustainable farming, drew couples and families from across the country, with the £50 ($63) tickets per head selling out months in advance, Agence France-Presse reported.

The paying visitors can scratch the chins and brush the soft coats of dozing cows inside a barn. When the sessions end, the visitors are herded outside and into the open, where Morag awaits.

Morag, one of five cuddle cows, raises her head to the sky as the visitors brush and caress her soft, fury chest, drawing smiles and hums of delight from the humans.

"Some people like to engage with dogs or cats or horses, and other people find that cows are the animals they want to be with," farm operator Wilson told AFP.

"That anxiety relieving-ness of being with animals is almost like therapy," she added.

with AFP