The Cavs Are Exploring The Idea Of A Team Therapy Dog

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Earlier this season, Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan were both instrumental in bringing the topic of mental health among professional athletes to the forefront of the cultural conversation. DeRozan acknowledged that he’s battled anxiety and depression for much of his adult life, while Love revealed that he’s recently suffered from panic attacks.

One of the biggest hurdles to addressing mental health issues has to do with the stigma surrounding it, so bringing this topic to light is a crucial step in combating what has become a modern-day epidemic. Mental health experts are also strong advocates for options like therapy animals, which is something the Cleveland Cavaliers have been exploring this season.

After spending time with “Remington,” the UNC baseball team’s therapy dog on a few occasions this season, the Cavs are reportedly considering getting a therapy animal of their own, potentially as soon as next season.


Via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:

The dogs are trained by paws4people, a nonprofit organization established in 2005. Remington is worth $60,000, but that’s not what the Cavs would pay for a service dog. If the Cavs’ application were approved and they passed a vetting process, there would likely be some sort of donation or fundraiser from the Cavs for paws4people.

There are still some questions to be answered and details to be ironed out before the Cavs walk down this path. Mostly, would it be worth the dog’s time (which could go to another client of paws4people) to be around a basketball team every day? If the novelty of having the dog around were to wear off, now the Cavs have an expensive, highly trained animal that could be helping a sick child or soldier back from war, being ignored in the corner.

According to the report, the Cavs have flown Remington and his trainer to Cleveland multiple times this postseason, the expense and logistics of which being the impetus behind the prospect of acquiring one of their own. Love and J.R. Smith are apparently all for it – Love also wants to get one of his own – while LeBron and head coach Ty Lue are more or less indifferent to the idea.

And that’s understandably one of the main concerns going in, i.e. whether the entire team would be amenable to such a new and unconventional locker-room dynamic, as well as the question of whether it would be prudent as a long-term investment. The only thing for certain is that it would make an adorable addition to the team.

(Cleveland.com)

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