The latest therapy animal to grace the halls at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is a miniature horse named Munchkin.
While minis as therapy animals aren’t as common in hospitals and senior homes as dogs are, they bring a lot of smiles when they enter a room. And according to a rep at the Mayo Clinic, who spoke to MPR News, the addition of a horse enables the animal handlers to reach more patients.
“There are instances where people might be afraid of dogs or are allergic to dogs,” Whitney Romine, Mayo’s animal assistance services coordinator, told the media outlet. “So adding an additional species increases our options that we can offer to patients.”