Wagging tails: therapy dog cheers Spanish special-needs kids during COVID

Student Ivan pets "Soul" during a dog-assisted therapy session at Escola Iris in Sant Vicenc dels Horts, during the coronavirus pandemic near Barcelona, Spain, November 25, 2020. Picture taken November 25, 2020. REUTERS/Albert Gea

SANT VICENC DELS HORTS, Spain (Reuters) - Surrounded by parents and teachers, five children with disabilities in a Spanish special-needs school cannot hide their excitement when Soul the therapy dog walks in wagging her tail.

"What we have noticed a lot during the time of the pandemic is that they pay much more attention to the dog," special education teacher Meritxell Arias told Reuters as the children laughed and petted the golden retriever, who also appeared to be smiling.