Un Perro Muy Inteligente

A visit to the dentist can be pure terror for small kids, but a clinic in Quito, Ecuador has found a soothing presence that can calm the most anxious nerves: a dog named Aldo.

Parque Dental says Aldo “accompanies the child in the dental chair, part of his body is on top of the child and the child can caress and hug him while his dental treatment is carried out.”

Aldo doesn’t wear a white lab coat because he is, in fact, a white Lab. Doesn’t he get freaked out with the whirring dental implements and stressed out kids? Nope. Not this certified, US-trained service dog. Aldo “gets in and out of the dental chair in a way that does not affect small or medical devices in use. He does not bite objects, he does not have sudden reactions, he is not frightened by noises or cries, he always seeks to calm the most needy.”

Aldo is a beloved fixture in Quito, but now that he’s been featured by the popular Twitter account WeRateDogs, the world knows him: “He’s an emotional support pup with special skills that allow him to stay with children during their appointments. He helps reduce their stress, increase their trust in the dentist, and reinforce their self-esteem.”

The tweet generated more than fifty thousand likes and reached as far as the Hindustan Times in India, which picked up the story.

Watch Aldo on the job here: youtube.com/watch?v=jPFB7g-j4ow. He is a very good dog.

Photo credit: parquedental