Therapy Dogs at Istanbul Airport to Soothe Passengers' Nerves

If you are flying from Istanbul Airport and feel anxious, the airport offers trained dogs to help calm your nerves. The Turkish airport has implemented this program throughout the past month to reduce stress and anxiety among passengers passing through. Traveler Anastasia Budmazova praised the service, saying while petting a therapy dog, "This relaxes me. I love animals. This is very good." Customer Service Manager Abdulkadir Demirdas stated that after positive feedback from passengers, the airport operating company wants to expand the project and increase the number of dogs available from five to ten. He added, "Traveling can be stressful... Research shows that interaction between animals and humans reduces stress and anxiety." Dog behavior expert and trainer Murat Cengiz Koja noted, "The dogs we've selected here have gone through a training process that lasted a year. They are here today because they succeeded in the training."