Jofi, the therapy dog of Sigmund Freud

Jofi, the therapy dog of the scientist Sigmund Freud.

Some dogs take the phrase "therapy dog" to a whole new level—starting with Sigmund Freud’s Chow Chow, Jofi.

Freud, who was never particularly fond of dogs, became a dog lover late in life. He acquired Jofi toward the end of his career, and she became his constant companion, especially during office hours. Freud believed that Jofi could actually read the emotions of his patients. The dog would sit close to calm patients and react to anxious or angry ones by moving to the other side of the room.

Freud also believed that Jofi had a calming effect on his patients, especially children, and that people were more honest and relaxed in the presence of a non-judgmental being—like a dog.

Jofi spent so much time in Freud’s office that she learned the length of a patient’s session, known as the "50-minute hour." As the session drew to a close, Jofi would yawn and stretch, sometimes even heading for the door on her own.

Toward the end of a career marked by two world wars and the excruciating pain of jaw cancer, Freud is believed to have said:

“Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, unlike humans, who are incapable of pure love and must always mix love and hate in their relations with objects.”