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Mumbai: Shahrukh Khan simply loves his best friend Kutty and its no ordinary love story.

Shahrukh an eight-year-old, suffering from speech impairment and retardation was brought to Jidd Special School in Thane for therapy.

Much to everyone's disappointment his condition did not improve. But Kutty, a four-year-old labrador changed all of that with what is known as Animal Assisted Therapy.

"The children have improved so much psychologically and physically,” says Principal, Jidd Special School, Shyam Ajay Bhonsle.

However, Kutty is not alone in this novel endeavour. Goldie too shares this responsibility along with volunteers from the Animal Angels foundation that initiated this rather unique technique where specially trained dogs are used to interact with patients and help heal not only troubled minds but physical disabilities as well.

"They are specially trained so they don’t react to harsh behaviour,” says Founder, Animal Angels Foundation, Minal Kavishwar.

This special therapy stems from a simple orientation and the children remain unaware of their incapabilities, quite like their healers - the canine medics.

"The animals do not know how to distinguish between other kids and these kids for them they are equal and that’s the basis of this therapy,” says Kavishwar.

Call it twist of fate or simply a new dimension in science, Animal Assisted Therapy seems to have changed lives at least for these children.

Their minds may have rendered them differently-abled children but that hasn't stopped Kutty and Goldie from forming a deep emotional bond with these children thereby helping them heal.

More on: animal, therapy, children, speech impairment, retardation