My wife is a Professor at the University of Washington, and works with autistic children. Some of those children would be very scared of dogs, some driven to screaming and hysteria at the mere sight of a dog. Sophie was a sweet and gentle dog. She was so friendly and good with children, that my wife would use Sophie to desensitize these children, and teach them not to be afraid. We called Sophie our "Therapy Dog" because her patient calm was so effective, and many of those frightened children came to love her and look forward to her visits..