Therapy Rabbit Comforts Anxious Travelers at the San Francisco Airport

Journey my can be an anxiety-inducing practical experience, whether you are frightened of flying, nervous about your excursion itinerary, or only missing folks and pets again household. Fortunately, there are strategies to cope. Some say there is absolutely nothing like the calming presence of an animal to relieve the nerves. This is the strategy at the rear of the San Francisco Intercontinental Airport’s Wag Brigade. The system delivers therapy-certified animals into the airport’s terminals to provide comfort and ease and diversion to distressed passengers. Although a lot of of the brigade’s animals are much more classic treatment animals likes dogs, they’ve a short while ago been joined by a stunning new addition: a 28-pound Flemish Huge rabbit named Alex the Terrific.

Launched in 2013, the Brigade now is composed of 16 one of a kind animals—14 canine, Alex the rabbit, and a pig named Lilou. The program’s mission is a uncomplicated, impactful a person: to make passenger vacation extra pleasurable. Obviously, the most crucial aspects of this purpose are the faces of the software, the pets themselves. Every single a single is accredited as a result of the San Francisco SPCA’s Animal Assisted Remedy (AAT) Program, and is picked particularly for its temperament and airport suitability.

Flemish Giants, the biggest breed of domestic rabbit, are identified for their helpful, easygoing nature and patience when being handled. These are the characteristics that make Alex perfect for the job. Identifiable by his Wag Brigade “Pet Me!” vest, he roams the airport in his stroller, providing a soothing existence and high-quality time to uneasy vacationers.

While he now life with a loving household and will get to share that enjoy by interacting with men and women, it wasn’t often that way. Alex was rescued from a central California rabbit farm, where by he was living under harsh problems. “He was included in fleas and his fur was matted,” describes his co-owner, Josh Row. The good news is, Row was capable to persuade the farmer into letting him acquire Alex for “a major amount of money of money.” He then took the rabbit residence and nursed him back again to health. “We cared for him,” Row clarifies, “and he acquired healthy, and we swiftly observed he had a a person-in-a-million character.”

Just after Alex earned his AAT license, he was qualified to implement for a place on the Wag Brigade. It appeared unlikely that a rabbit would qualify, due to the fact the demands were originally developed for puppies, but Alex handed with traveling colors. Now, as an official member of the Brigade, he visits the airport two to three times a month, always greeted by shock and delight.

You can abide by alongside on Alex the Great’s airport visits and other adventures via his Instagram.

This cute 28-pound rabbit, named Alex the Excellent, is the newest remedy animal to join the San Francisco Airport’s “Wag Brigade.”

These specific animals roam the airport’s terminals, providing comfort to nervous tourists.

Alex is a Flemish Huge, a breed regarded for its friendliness and persistence.

Who wouldn’t want cuddles from this light large?

San Francisco Wag Brigade: Site | Instagram
h/t: [Travel + Leisure]

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