![\"Sagiv](\"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/pet-the3rapy-balu.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBalu joined the Ezer Mizion Pet Therapy Center as a tiny Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, who has spent the past year training as a therapy dog. Balu came to fill the \u2018pawprints\u2019 left by Nana, the beloved gentle giant dog who spent fourteen devoted years accompanying hundreds of children and adults through their cancer journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, Balu has grown – and so has his gentle spirit. Despite his impressive size, he is remarkably tender, often sitting patiently beside children who are much smaller than he is. Young patients delight in caring for him, brushing his soft fur, practicing the tricks he has learned, or simply curling up beside him for comfort. In these moments, something profound happens: the effect of the hospital atmosphere and difficult treatments soften, fear recedes, joy and confidence quietly return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Animal-facilitated therapy offers far more than a pleasant distraction. For children and adults grappling with serious illness. It provides emotional release, reduces stress and anxiety, and restores a sense of control and connection. Families, too, find solace in these interactions, watching their loved ones smile, laugh, and engage in ways that illness often makes difficult.
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Diagnosed with a brain tumor at just five years old, Sagiv was given a devastating prognosis. He was not expected to reach his sixth birthday. Yet Sagiv\u2019s journey has been one of resilience and hope. Now ten years old, he continues to receive treatment and continues to visit Ezer Mizion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Ezer Mizion\u2019s Oranit Cancer Patient Guest Home, support comes in many forms. Ezer Mizion surrounds patients and their families with a wide range of emotional support and therapeutic experiences designed to ease their journey. Among the most beloved of these is animal-facilitated therapy, a uniquely powerful source of comfort, connection, and healing.
For Sagiv (10), the wildlife pavilion is one of the most cherished places at Ezer Mizion. There he can care for animals and take part in therapy sessions. It is here that his bond with Balu has blossomed. The two are inseparable – best friends who share quiet moments of comfort and playfulness that transcend words.
Balu is more than a therapy dog. He is a source of warmth, a companion in difficult moments, and a symbol of the healing power of kindness. Sometimes healing comes with four paws and a gentle heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moshe’s mother, Daniela, is battling cancer. Once a week, Moshe (13) comes to Ezer Mizion\u2019s wildlife pavilion to spend time with Balu, working on new commands and reinforcing the ones Balu has already learned. Unlike the repair of machinery, the human spirit is an equal partner with the body in restoring health.\u00a0 Pet Therapy is one of the ways that the spirit is strengthened and enabled to help bring about the awaited healing.\u00a0\u00a0 Through Balu, children like Sagiv, Moshe and their families are reminded that even in the most challenging journeys, there can be joy, connection, and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a challenging journey filled with incomprehensible medical terminology, chemotherapy treatments, surgeries. It\u2019s easy for the professionals to lose sight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[192,2019,1324,2018],"class_list":["post-7654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cancer-support-division","tag-animal-therapy","tag-animal-facilitated-therapy","tag-cancer-patient-support-services","tag-pet-therapy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7654"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7657,"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7654\/revisions\/7657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Moshe shares: \u201cI practice \u2018heel,\u2019 \u2018sit,\u2019 and \u2018down\u2019 with him. I throw balls for him to fetch. I\u2019m planning to keep working on \u2018stay\u2019 and \u2018free,\u2019 which he\u2019s still getting the hang of, and also to teach him new commands like \u2018roll over\u2019.\u201d With the guidance of the wildlife pavilion\u2019s therapeutic team, Moshe trains with Balu and looks forward to every visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"