Therapy dogs have been around since WWII, but with the coronavirus pandemic, it seems we need them now more than ever. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 visitor restrictions, pups have been prevented from seeing patients.
But a 3-year-old Rottweiler named Loki wasn’t going to abandon people in need. Even though she couldn’t comfort the sick, she (along with her owner, 30-year-old medical student Caroline Benzel) figured out how to make life a little easier for frontline workers with “Dogtor Loki Hero Healing Kits.”
The kits contain simple but much-appreciated essentials like instant coffee, tea, snack bars, lip balm, baby powder, petroleum jelly, and hypoallergenic lotion. They also include a thank-you note featuring an illustration of Loki in scrubs. An incredible 5,500 kits have made their way into the hands of frontline workers thanks to donations.
Photo: Laney’s Lab
Recipients have expressed their gratitude with gifts and letters, too. “I’ve gotten a lot of thank you letters. People have sent Loki gifts, even some people sent dog toys,” Benzel told Today. “Loki was therapeutic for me being a medical student and helping me feel like I’m actually doing something that’s giving back.”
Cover Photo: Caroline Benzel
Celebrities who care: Famous People Who Donated To Help Those Affected by Coronavirus (And So Should You)
MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS:
Coronavirus club: 15 Celebrity Tweets That Will Calm You to Know We’re All in This Together
Visit the Mandatory Shop for great deals on your very own Mandatory merch.
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Coronavirus Stories March 2020
-
Everything Coronavirus Has Ruined So Far
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: mediaphotos (Getty Images)
-
The Mandatory Guide to Dating in the Age of Coronavirus
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Gerard Fritz (Getty Images)
-
This Coronavirus-Fighting Device Guarantees You’ll Wash Your Hands Long Enough, If You Finally Decide to Wash Them at All
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Charday Penn (Getty Images)
-
Hilariously Inventive DIY Face Masks That May (Or May Not) Keep Coronavirus Away
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Alexander Short / EyeEm (Getty Images)
-
Coronavirus Porn Is the Latest Guilty Pleasure, Quaran-Teens in Your Area (Legal Ones, Of Course)
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Fuse (Getty Images)
-
Shame Cone is the Latest Coronavirus Prevention Product (For You, Not the Dog)
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: globalmoments (Getty Images)
-
Toilet Paper Alternatives to Cover Your Ass During the Coronavirus Panic
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Darren Fast (Getty Images)
-
Young American Forced to Find a Hobby Without Work, Sports and Travel Weighing Him Down, Thanks to Coronavirus
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Oppenheim Bernhard (Getty Images)
-
Mandatory Staff Picks: Comfort Movies to Keep You Calm During Your Coronavirus Quarantine
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: CBS Photo Archive / Contributor
-
Hand Sanitizer Prices Skyrocket Amid Coronavirus, Our Cheap DIY Suggestions to Avoid Getting Scammed
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: matspersson0 (Getty Images)
-
Coronavirus Movie Marathon: The Best Sick Day Films When You Have a Lengthy Quarantine Ahead
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Warner Bros.
-
Tito’s Vodka Urges Drinkers Not to Use Its Booze as Hand Sanitizer (But You Should Definitely Stockpile It for Your Quarantine)
For more coronavirus news, click here.
Photo: Rawpixel(Getty Images)
